Star Wars: Shadow Of The Sith
by Malik Kajil
Summary: Long after the destruction caused by Jacen Solo, many young Jedi grew curious about the dark side of the force.Years later, balance was brought to the force, with the dark side being the prominent side.Now the Dark Lord of the Sith, Krotuss Vass, travels to the restored Sith Academy on Korriban seeking a new apprentice...
1. Prologue

_**Prologue: Fall of the Dark Lord**_

_"Krotuss..." a deep whisper echoes, "Krotuss, 'tis time. Long ago, you swore to me! You swore to protect me, but now there is another...A Jedi walks among us!"_

Aboard his massive starship, the dark lord of the Sith, Krotuss Vass, attempted to appease the screams in his mind. The dark side was strong with him, but he felt as though he were constantly struggling with it for control. It was an empty, fearful emotion within him, whose void could only be satisfied with a constant gain of power. Krotuss was an average-sized Zabrak male, whose crimson skin and black tattoos made him seem even more menacing than usual. He gazed out at the galaxy he now ruled, but his confidence was beginning to wane.

"Lord Krotuss," said an Imperial Officer as he quickly approached and saluted his ruler, "We've arrived, my lord. Korriban awaits your decent."

"I'm well aware that we have reached my destination, Officer Nordock," the Sith hissed angrily but with a calm gaze, "You would be wise not to interrupt me when I'm deep in thought."

"Yes, my lord," Nordock immediately apologised, "It won't happen again."

"No," Krotuss replied as his anger grew violently, "No, it will not."

The tyrant raised his left hand, clenched his fist, and dark force energy swept over the officer like a plague. Nordock's face grew extremely old, and it was as if time itself had advanced on him at an accelerated rate. His hair turned into a thin, white substance of decay, and just before it fell off entirely, Nordock's eye sockets imploded like two collapsing stars. As the entire deck of crew members watched in horror, Nordock became nothing more than a pile of decayed flesh and bones, and Lord Krotuss seemed to somehow grow younger than before.

_"Yes," the voice hissed again, "Such delicious life force! I must have all of it...I need all of it..."_

Ignoring the voice in his head, Krotuss made his way to the dispatch shuttle, and descended to the Restored Sith Academy on Korriban. His small shuttle was fast for its size, yet it lacked the power to reach speeds high enough to brave the sandstorms familiar to Korriban's surface. Yet despite his teeming hatred for this barren wasteland, he had proudly destroyed the Jedi Order, and restored the Sith Order once more. No matter what apprentice the Academy's supervisor wanted him to see, Krotuss believed that no sith would ever accomplish what he had so many years ago. Finally, he approached the massive, dark temple, and landed his shuttle in the western docking bay, which faced a deep valley littered with tombs.

"So this is the Academy they constructed for me," Krotuss said mildly, "I suppose it will do for now."

Meanwhile, inside the academy, the entire student body had gathered for a mandatory meeting, which was called by the supervisor. Among them were masses of apprentices, padawans, and older students that hadn't yet mastered even the basics of the dark side. However, no youngling was more doted upon than Nores Kree, who was a rare, Darminian Zabrak, and a descendant of Darth Maul. He even resembled the ancient Sith Warrior slightly, but his appearance seemed even more menacing than his ancestor.

Next to him were his two goons; a Neimoidian by the name of Kardol Shrata'al, and a Trandoshan known as Kod'lock. While they were nothing special, for some reason being around Nores made them seem a bit more dangerous. Away from the main tables, and trying to avoid notice, was a truly powerful Human male named Malik Kajil. So far as was known, Malik was the only one to ever face Nores in the training arena, and live to talk about it.

The New Sith Order decreed that every combat excercise would be met by real-world standards, and as such, padawans were immediately taught to use light sabers after learning to craft one of their own. This made Malik an exceptional student in the eyes of most of the masters, but it also made him both a threat and a target for Nores Kree, who despised him for it. Nores seemed both jealous of Malik, and threatened by him, but Malik simply wanted to survive, not surpass. As the students settled into their seats, the supervisor approached the front of the crowd, and used the force to amplify his voice into a loud, booming echo.

"My proud padawans and apprentices," he began, "This is a proud day for the New Sith Empire. This is the day when one of you will be chosen to stand at our Dark Lord's side, and rule alongside his greatness. It will be that Sith's honor to learn all the knowledge that Lord Krotuss has to offer, and leave their mark on the Galaxy at large."

The entire student body was as silent as death, and as the supervisor finished his introduction, Lord Krotuss himself appeared before them. There was an overwhelming sense of fear issuing from most of the students, and Krotuss began to scowl. The stench of a Sith's fear disgusted him, and even the voice in his head was hissing and gagging. Slowly, he approached the mass of students, and felt his own dark energy rising in anger.

"Young Sith," Krotuss began, "If you feel the overwhelming sensation of fear broiling within your chest, leave immediately," he began, "You will then run and hide anywhere you can, as those who are truly worthy of the dark side hunt you down, and bring honor to this wretched Sith Academy."

For a moment, none of the students moved. Their minds raced with both incredulous disbelief and panic, but soon, the panic took over. To seal the order he had given them, he glared at the first student he felt fear from, and began strangling him with the dark side. He slowly brought the student up to his eye level, and as the young, human male with blonde hair gasped for air, Krotuss hissed where only the boy could hear him.

"A Sith does not fear," he growled as his hand shook violently with intense rage, "A Sith _uses _fear, he makes it his strength!"

As he finished his sentence, the youngling collapsed, dead on the floor, and all the students who had felt fear began to run wildly in all directions. Wasting no time, Nores Kree and his goons drew their sabers, and were the first of a group of students to strike down the fleeing students. Malik Kajil simply sat in his place, and although he was not afraid, he did not see the point in killing the cowards who had once called themselves Sith. Malik watched as the slaughter continued, and had unwittingly gained the Dark Lord's attention.

As the screams stopped, only a few dozen students remained, while the ground was littered with the limbs and corpses of the rest of the student body. Retracting their sabers, the students immediately sat back down as if nothing had happened, with Malik now alone at his table. Krotuss was curious about him, and approached the supervisor immediately.

"Who is that student over there," he whispered to the supervisor.

"Oh him," the supervisor replied, "That's Malik Kajil, he's a human we found wandering in the desert about two years ago. He's strong in the dark side of the force, my lord."

Krotuss approached, and at first, Nores Kree thought the Sith Lord was approaching him, but grew even angrier as he spoke to Malik first. Malik sat in place, refusing both emotion and eye contact, and cleared his mind as the Dark Lord stared at him. Finally, Krotuss forced Malik to look at him with the force, and stared into his eyes.

"You supervisor tells me," Krotuss began, "that you survived in the desert sands of Korriban, is this true?"

"Yes," Malik said dryly and without hesitation as Vass released him.

"Did you know that it's supposed to be impossible to survive out there for more than a standard day, young one" Krotuss asked.

"No, my lord, I did not," Malik responded.

"Tell me, youngling," Krotuss said loudly enough for all to hear, "How long did you survive in that _harsh_ environment?"

"The force," Malik said, this time with a proud tone in his voice, "The dark side of the force guided me. I lived for six months after..."

"After what," Krotuss hissed, leering at Malik with excitement and envy, "What drove you out into those sands, boy?"

"We were on a starship," Malik answered, "We crashed, I should've died but...the force. It spoke to me, it told me where I could find food and water. The force kept me alive, but only barely, my lord."

"Impressive," Krotuss said, nodding.

He returned to the supervisor, completely ignoring Nores Kree, and they began to speak. After a moment, Krotuss nodded at Malik, and then left the academy. All of the students were confused, even Malik, who was now angry at having remembered his family's demise upon arrival. Despite them dying tragically, they had still gotten their wish, and it would seem even better than they had hoped.

As Krotuss Vass made his way back to his starship, a harsh wind blew over him. Luckily, he managed to get into the small craft, and power it through the young sandstorm before it became deadly. Docking back with the main ship, he arrived on the deck, but then something strange happened. It was the voice! It was screaming inside his head, and was angry with him.

_"YOU FOOL! HOW COULD YOU WASTE ALL THAT LIFE? ALL THAT DELICIOUS LIFE FORCE! YOU'VE FINALLY DONE IT! YOU'RE FINISHED!"_

Krotuss suddenly clasped his chest, and knelt. The crew aboard his ship was in a panic as dark force energy began to attack the ship itself, and started lashing out violently. While the Imperials fled the flight deck, Krotuss was now nearly face down next to the pile of what used to be Officer Nordock. His entire body felt as though it were being dried rapidly, and he found he couldn't breath. Not only had the dark side abandoned him, it was attacking him, or so he thought.

It suddenly dawned on him that he had never been in control, and that he was merely a puppet for the force; a vessel in which it could reach out into the galaxy. As Krotuss drew his last breath, the flight deck of the ship was crumbled by the intense force energy, and the massive starship hurtled towards Korriban's surface. Just before the massive explosion of the crash consumed him entirely, the last words Krotuss Vass heard were that of the force in his head:

_"You fool, you are unworthy of the power I have given you. Hence, I have taken your life force, the way you took so many others! I will find a newer, better Sith to bestow my gifts upon! Someone truly worthy of the title of Dark Lord! Krotuss Vass, you are no more!"_


	2. Ch 1: Conflict of Interest

_**1: Conflict of Interest**_

There was a thick humidity in the air, and it hung over Kashyyk's jungles like a thick blanket of moisture. Throughout the dense jungle trees and vines, and even through all the life forms, it was difficult to sense much at all. Though the force had guided Fakirus Akuro, the sole remaining Jedi, through many things, it would seem that he was not meant to leave this jungle alive. He sat down on a moss-covered rock, and began to meditate.

For some time now, the force had been held at the pinnacle of its darkness, and with the return of a new Sith Order, he had exiled himself to Kashyyk, and waited. After the fall of the New Republic, and the Jedi Order, all he did was wait. The New Sith Empire's presence here was scarce, and even more so in the wild lands of the jungles.

Luckily, his patience held him, and gave him comfort, and as he meditated calmly, he felt the warm embrace of the force protecting him. The familiar sensation of a soft breeze across his face, and the memory of his loving wife. He didn't ignore his pain, but embraced it instead, and let the force soothe him.

He snapped out of it in a snap, and sensed a powerful tremor. The ground wasn't shaking, and yet he could feel a disturbance around him. He stood up, but was almost too late as the familiar sound of a light saber expelling its blade whooshed from above him. He drew his own sword seconds before it clashed with the attacker's blade, and he could see the young boy now.

"I have come for you, Jedi," the human male said with a growl, "I am Xenos, and I will strike down any Jedi I find!"

"You will find that I am not so easily defeated," Fakirus proclaimed proudly, "Yet you are essential for my plan."

As they clashed their sabers together, both the assassin and the Jedi Master leapt from trees and boulders in a fierce battle. Both now had slight cuts from each other's sabers, and were locked together. Simultaniously, they both lashed out with the force, locking their hands in place.

"You're much stronger than any Jedi I have faced before," Xenos growled as his dark violet hair flailed from the force energy, "but no Jedi can defeat me!"

"I sense conflict within you," Fakirus retorted, "Perhaps you are not as dark as you believe. I sense your curiosity of the light side of the force!"

They both were sent flying back in a swift twirl, and crashed into thick trees. The air was now littered with twigs and leaves, and both the Sith and the Jedi withdrew their swords. Xenos was glaring at the Jedi with a fierce, intense hatred, but he indeed felt conflicted. Until now, he had sensed only disgust from the Jedi he had struck down, but Fakirus was different somehow.

"What do you care," Xenos demanded, "I'm a Sith, so why do you care what emotions I feel?"

"I know your heart," Fakirus replied, "You may hate the Jedi but you hate the Sith Order even more so...You blame them, don't you?"

"SHUT UP," Xenos shouted angrily, then immediately lunged forward, placing his sword at the Jedi's neck, "You merely seek me to betray my masters, admit it!"

"Foolish boy," Fakirus replied with a smile, "The Sith always betray one another, it's in their nature."

Xenos glared for a moment, then lept up into the trees, and disappeared. Fakirus sat back down, and began to meditate once more. He knew he was finally wearing down on the Sith's anger and hatred, but he wondered how many more times the boy would try to kill him, before he actually succeeded, or gave himself to the light side of the force.

As the students of the Korriban Sith Academy made their way to their dorms, a loud explosion echoed just a few miles out from them. Rushing outside, a thick trail of smoke could be seen spilling into the air, and a large pile of what used to be a massive starship was protruding from the ground. Nores Kree, Kardol Shrata'al, and Kod'lock were the first ones to make it out of the Academy, followed by Malik, the masters, and then the rest of the students. There were already subtle whispers, but only Malik, Nores, and a few of the masters could sense the true gravity of the situation.

_"Dead," _a voice whispered in Malik's head, _"Krotuss is dead, he's gone now. He was not worthy of the power he wielded..."_

Malik shook his head, ignoring the voice, and the next thing he knew, the students were being ushered back inside. Again, he found all the students, or at least the ones still living, gathered for a meeting. The supervisor was standing in his usual place, and all the students were sitting quietly. This time, however, a small group of students were sitting next to Malik, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"My proud students," the supervisor began, "It is with extreme remorse that I give the news of what has recently transpired. Lord Krotuss, the Dark Lord of the Sith, has perished in a terrible accident."

The students grew silent, with only Malik and Nores void of surprise. A gasp echoed from the rest of the students, while Malik sat silently. He felt more annoyed than anything else, for a human female was staring at him with intense curiosity. She was shorter than him, with sparkling green eyes, and dark brown hair. Her skin was very light complected, but he could sense the dark side coursing through her like a raging river, and yet she didn't seem to unleash it.

"In light of this event, it is decreed, by Sith Law number 2467, that all academies are to submit their best students for submission to the role of Dark Lord. One student from each Academy will be sent to the volcanic planet of Mustafar, where they will all fight to the death, leaving the victor to take on the mantle of Sith Lord."

Whispers again echoed throughout the atrium, and while it was surprisingly loud, Malik simply cleared his mind, and ignored it. He knew that, while he was strong in the force, it would most likely be Nores Kree who would be chosen. As the supervisor raised his hand for silence, the students quickly settled down.

"In addition," he continued, "The victor will have an average bounty placed on their head, and will be hunted across the galaxy until they can discover who it was that placed the bounty. Should they succeed, this individual will have attained the mantle."

"Thank you, supervisor Brycen," said a tall, aged Devaronian, "Now students, as the supervisor explained, we must choose the best student among you. We find ourselves at an awkward position."

The students grew with more confusion, and began to murmur. The Devaronian waited for a moment, allowing the uncertainty to settle in. As he smirked from creating a slight amount of chaos, his sharp teeth became more obvious, with both rows of fangs protruding menacingly. His deep socketed eyes were complimented by his equally dark horns, which angled back from his forehead. Malik looked over, feeling that he was about to speak again, and was actually somewhat curious about what he had to say.

"As you all know," the red skinned Devaronian continued, "Lord Krotuss was here recently seeking an apprentice to succeed him. Before he left here, however, he held a message for the supervisor. He had named his next apprentice. Malik, if you would, please join me up here."

Malik's face instantly flushed, and he felt his heart racing. He was both surprised and nervous, and he could feel Nores Kree's hatred for him rising incredibly fast. He stood up, and as he prevented his emotions from showing on him, made his way calmly to where the Devaronian and the supervisor were standing.

"While normally, we would honor the Dark Lord's wish to choose young Malik Kajil as his successor, the circumstances make that option impossible. Instead, Malik and this Academy's top student will fight a duel to the death, and we will have our champion to submit."

Malik looked around nervously, and grew angry at himself for allowing that bit of emotion to show. Had he heard right? Was he really going to be pitted against the top student, and in a fight to the death no less? Although he knew who would be named to face him, he was still shocked when Nores Kree was called to challenge him. It was sealed, and Malik would have to do what the other's at the Academy thought to be impossible: he would have to kill Nores Kree.

Fakirus had finally found what appeared to be a small hut, and settled inside it for the night. He'd spent his share of nights in the wilderness of Kashyyk's jungles, and it was no picnic, especially in the heavy thunder storms that struck down rapidly. His mind wandered to thoughts of the Sith who hunted him, yet refused to kill him. He knew there was good somewhere inside of him, he just needed to surface it before the dark side truly consumed Xenos. About an hour passed, and Fakirus was getting ready to sleep, but then heard a knock at the make-shift door he had made from wood.

"Who's there," he called out, "the door is open, so show yourself."

Sure enough, the wooden door was blasted back with a powerful wave of force energy, and in walked a young boy with dark violet hair. He had to bend slightly to enter the small hut, but calmly entered, and glared at the Jedi. Fakirus smiled, and sensed that the dark side was not as strong in the boy anymore. He walked over, and put a blanket over him to keep him warm. Just as they sat down, a strike of lightning crashed down near them, and the ground rumbled under the heavy storm.

"Look," Xenos began, "I...I can't go back to my masters without killing you but," he paused briefly as if struggling with some conflicting emotion, "I won't kill you. If there is a better way for me to use my gifts, then I want to. I don't hate the Jedi, I hate the Sith."

"That's good," Fakirus replied, "and there is a better way to use your gifts. There is more to the force than mere power and control, you just need to have a clear mind. Clear your mind of the dark side," Fakirus added and stood up proudly above the Sith assassin, "become my apprentice, and we will bring balance to the force once more!"

Malik and Nores were now face to face next to the Devaronian, and an intense hatred coursed through them both. For a moment, Malik half expected Nores to strike him down on the spot, but the silence was all that was gained from their stand off. The students had been silent at first, but then cheered in an uproar, as they had done so many times when Malik and Nores had been the only ones left in the training yard. This time would be different, however, as they were now fated to destroy one another.

"You both are the best that this Academy has to offer," supervisor Brycen added, speaking through his breathing apparatus which covered his entire lower jaw, "Fight well, and die with the honor of a Sith. Now...go..."

They both made their way to their dorms, grabbing only what they needed to survive, and left the Academy, concealing their energy so as not to be detected. Malik knew that, just like the training exercises, this would not be easy in any way, and he set out into the familiar desert sands of Korriban's barren surface.


	3. Ch 2: Soul of the force

_**2: Soul Of The Force**_

Though Malik had spent time in the desert sands of Korriban plenty of times, it still didn't make him very immune to its harsh winds, and the coarse sand and rubble didn't help either. It had been almost six hours since he and Nores had departed from the academy, but he had seen no sign of Darth Maul's descendant, and so Malik opted to make his way towards the Valley of the Dark Lords. If there was any source of power that could help him, it could be found there.

_"Yes, this is the place where a true Sith would go,"_ said that same voice in his head again, _"No, not that one, go to the third one. Yes, there will be holocrons in there to use. Knowledge...such delicious knowledge..."_

Although Malik was not afraid of this new voice in his head, he did find it to be rather annoying. He made his way into the abandoned tomb, and as he approached, he could already sense the powerful energy of the dark side that surrounded it. The deeper he ventured, it seemed, the darker the energy became. He passed corridors filled with bones of both sentients and beasts alike, yet pressed on. He knew that Korriban was devoid of life, save for small critters and bugs, and the Sith, so there should be no danger here.

_"Turn here, young one, and what you seek shall be revealed..."_

Malik made his way into the dark room, and it was as if no light were capable of penetrating the darkness here. He stepped forward cautiously, and kicked something big, metallic, and sharp. Cursing out loud, he knelt down to check that his foot wasn't bleeding. Indeed it wasn't, but as he stood back up, the corner of whatever he had kicked slashed down his right arm, and blood began to splatter everywhere. Quickly, and while cursing more, Malik drew his lightsaber, and seared his wound with the red blade in his hand.

_"Perfect," _the voice cooed, _"Now we shall wait..."_

Although Kashyyk was well known for its humidity, and Xenos had spent a few months surviving in it already, he was still finding it hard to catch his breath as he and Fakirus sparred together. Large beads of sweat stung his eyes, and as they ran down his face and everywhere else, he dug deep. Never before had he dueled without using his anger, or any other dark emotions, and it was much harder than he'd first realised.

"Clear your mind, my apprentice," Fakirus insisted as they sparred, "Focus only on your goal, your surroundings, and trust in the living force."

Xenos roared loudly, and lashed out with the training sword the Jedi Master had given him to use. Fakirus merely armed himself with bracers and a fallen tree branch. As his padawan lashed out in anger, Fakirus swept his legs out to trip Xenos, and then kicked his stomach hard, sending him into a tree. He then stepped over slowly, and offered his hand to help him up.

"You must learn to focus, and control your anger," the Jedi stated, "Only then will you be a true warrior."

"No, master," Xenos replied, "you underestimate the power of the dark side...It's too strong; it can't be driven away."

"Only those with a strong will are able to mold the force to their benefit," Fakirus explained, "the rest only manage to become consumed by their own power."

Xenos nodded, and took his master's hand. They spent the next few hours meditating before Xenos was sent on an errand to retrieve food and water. Though he still struggled with the dark side of the force, and his Sith teachings, he _wanted_ to become a Jedi. He hated the corruption of the Sith, and the shadow of the Empire over the galaxy. As he made his way through Kashyyk's thick jungles, he vowed he would one day change things for the better.

Nores Kree had sensed a hint of Malik's anger, and as he ventured into the caverns of an abandoned Sith tomb, he thought of little else other than revenge. Ever since the human boy, who had blue eyes, and medium dark brown hair, had shown up at the academy, all he had managed to do was diminish Nores' reputation. He'd had enough of that in the past couple of years, and he was drooling at the thought of killing Malik slowly, and painfully.

Malik was still in the dark room, where his blood had dripped to the floor, and he was uncertain of how many hours he'd spent sitting there. The dark side of the force was strong here, and in fact, Malik felt nothing else. He was growing more and more drunk with the power that he was bathing in. Suddenly, a soft hum began to echo through the room, and a soft, red light began to glow in front of him, slowly growing brighter.

Though he had never seen one in person, Malik knew that this was a Sith Holocron, and it felt as though it were teeming with knowledge of the dark side. His mind began to slowly go dark, and he felt drowsiness coming over him. Moments before he fell into unconsciousness, he made sure to check his holo watch for the time.

Nores had felt a shift in the force the moment Malik slipped into sleep, and he suddenly couldn't sense the human anymore. He stopped where he was, and finally took in his surroundings. He was in a long, dark hallway, and the only noticable things around him were a few bones and three separate doors. He immediately tried the first door, but it was wedged shut from the inside by a large crate.

"That's odd," Nores said out loud, and drew his light saber.

Within seconds, he cut through the rusted metal blast door, and sliced the crate in half, watching it collapse into a rotten pile of dust and wood. He was surprised at who was standing in front of him, and stepped forward slowly. He glared fiercely at his Trandoshan ally, and felt his anger grow into a strong resentment.

"Kod'lock, what are you doing here," Nores demanded.

"Forgive me, Nores," the scaled beast responded in his Trandoshan tongue, "I merely wanted to share in the thrill of hunting our most hated rival-"

"_Rival,_"Nores hissed angrily as his glare intensified, "I am a true Sith, and a descendant of one of the most famous Sith Warriors in history. I have _no _rival."

Turning on the spot, Nores began to walk away in a fury, but Kod'lock stepped forward as if to apologize. Nores felt his movement, then stopped. He turned to face the Trandoshan once more, and his rage continued to grow as he saw the look of guilt on the weak student's face.

"Do you fear me, lizard," Nores hissed, turning slowly to face Kod'lock.

"What? Of course not," he replied with some hesitation, "W-why would I?"

"Indeed," Nores said softly as he nodded, "Why would you..."

There was a moment of silence between them, then suddenly, Nores glared, drew his saber, and cut down his former ally in one swift stroke. The Trandoshan was still in shock as he collapsed from the massive slash across his chest, and Nores merely withdrew his saber as he watched Kod'lock slowly die.

"I am Sith, Kod'lock," Nores hissed to his dead friend, "I care for nothing else than my own power and my own life. I don't have time to baby sit a cowardly weakling."

With that, he made his way down the hallway, and deeper into the tomb. He knew Malik wasn't nearby, and now with his rage, he was even more determined to find him. Deeper and deeper, he ventured blindly into the tomb, seeking out his rival.

Back on Kashyyk, Xenos was making his way back to the hut with a few animals he'd found scurrying about, and some fruits that hung from a tree. It had taken him only a few hours to acquire these things, and yet he felt exhausted. He wasn't sure why, but he felt an approaching doom looming over him, and he was still uncertain wether or not it was an actual disturbance in the force, or just himself. As he finally came within sight of the small hut, he stopped dead in his tracks, dropping the fruit and food he had gathered.

Cautiously, he looked around, sensing a strong concentration of dark force energy, and movement as well. He slowly stepped forward, and suddenly, a massive, crazed looking Wookiee jumped down from a tree, and landed in front of him hard. Without missing a beat, the massive beast lashed out, and struck Xenos on the jaw hard with the back of its left hand. Xenos reeled back, glaring, but tried to control his anger.

"I...I don't want to hurt you, Wookiee," Xenos shouted as calmly as he could, "Leave now, and you won't get hurt."

The crazed beast merely cried out with a psychotic growl, and ran towards him at full speed. Xenos side-stepped, dodging the Wookiee with some difficulty, and drew his light saber. In two simple slashes, he cut off one of its arms, and slashed across its back, then withdrew his blade immediately. Looking down, he felt the dark side leaving the Wookiee's body, and then nothing at all. For a moment, he felt sorry for the creature lying dead in front of him, but his concentration broke as Jedi Master Fakirus approached him.

"It's alright, master," Xenos began, "The Wookiee was no trouble, though I felt a strong concentration of dark force within it. It was crazed, and consumed by madness."

"As you now see, my apprentice," Fakirus replied, "Those who fail to control their power are always doomed to be consumed by it."

A few days passed by, and for the majority of the time, Xenos and Fakirus trained endlessly. The next day, Fakirus had not awoken Xenos to train him, nor did it seem he had woken up at all. Sensing his master's waning life force, he slowly approached the old Jedi's bedside, and knelt beside him.

"Master, are you alright," Xenos asked quietly.

"Yes," Fakirus replied after a long pause, "but I feel my time is drawing near. You...you are the last of the Jedi, Xenos."

"Nonsense, master," Xenos replied, reaching to shake his master awake, "You're not dying just yet-"

"Silence, you fool," Fakirus hissed in a raspy voice, "My body is old, and training you took what was left of my time in this life. There is only one thing left for you to do before you are ready..."

"What must I do," the apprentice asked.

"There is a cave," his master replied with a broken voice, "on the far side of the jungle. It will show you the way...what you are destined to do. You will feel and see things you've not yet experienced, but you will grow stronger because of it. Go there, and become what you were always meant to be..."

As the Master Jedi slowly slipped away, Xenos felt heavy in his chest, and although he had trained well, he still couldn't fight off his emotions. He stood up, grabbed the food he had gathered, and left. He thought of perhaps burning the hut down, but he felt leaving the Jedi where he lay would be more suitable. He had arrived on Kashyyk a Sith, but now he was uncertain as to what kind of person he would leave as, and so he made his way to the cave.

As Malik lay unconscious in the dim lit room, the Sith Holocron hummed softly with a bright, red light. Suddenly, a small stream of red force lightning jolted out, and hit Malik right in his chest. He sat up immediately, and his drowsiness faded. He felt where the jolt had struck him, and felt the dark side of the force swelling within him. Suddenly, he noticed the holocron's inner force shifting, and his mind began to be filled with dark side knowledge. Visions of past Sith Lords, and the power they wielded entered his mind's eye, as well as all the techniques they had mastered.

Lurking on a beam above where Malik was sitting, mesmerised, Kardol Shrataal had watched him patiently, waiting for his moment to strike. At first, he planned to strike Malik down while he slept, but noticing the strange activity of the holocron, he'd opted to wait and see what would happen next. Upon the announcement of the Academy's top students, his jealousy had grown tremendously.

Glaring down at the distracted human, the Neimoidian thought of nothing else but destroying him, then getting the jump on Nores Kree soon after. As soon as he'd felt Kod'lock's life force fade, he knew that it had been Nores who betrayed him, and assumed he'd be next. The Neimoidian Sith would not be so easily fooled, and so not only would he steal Nores' moment of glory, but he would steal his life as well.

Finally, Malik was freed from the holocron's grip, and his mind settled, taking in all the knowledge that had been bestowed upon him. He slowly stood up, and although Kardol Shrataal hadn't noticed it, Malik had been changed forever. He was no longer the silent, mild-mannered boy he had arrived as, and his soul was now filled with all the rage and might of a true Sith.

_"Yes, good,"_ the force hissed throughout his mind, _"Let the knowledge and the power of the dark side course through your soul. Let your heart be filled with the true way of the Sith..."_

As Malik's mind finally settled, he could now sense _all _of his surroundings, and even felt the Neimoidian, but he could sense that Kardol hadn't realised the change in him just yet. He turned around, knelt, and placed his black, metallic carrying case near the doorway. He felt a shift in the force, and in his mind, he saw Kardol tighten his grip on his light saber, leap down, and slash as hard and fast as he could down on Malik.

In Malik's eyes, the gesture was slowed tremendously, and he felt how much stronger he was than Kardol. Not only had he seen it coming, but it hadn't even happened yet. Suddenly, Malik wheeled around, and his saber clashed with the Neimoidian's in a dead lock. Kardol Shrataal was confused, but still determined to kill Malik.

"So," the thin, green alien said with a snarl, "you've finally grown a back bone. Well, you're too late, Malik! I will be the one who defeats you, and when Nores finds your corpse, I shall strike him down as well!"

"You fool," Malik growled, smirking, "You lack the power to defeat me. I will end you, here and now!"

Breaking free from the lock, Malik flourished his saber swiftly, and as Kardol struggled to gain control of his senses, he barely managed to dodge and deflect Malik's attacks. As they dueled, Malik slowly backed the Neimoidian out of the room, and close to a large, drained power cell. Finally, Malik had cornered his yellow-eyed adversary, and a dark scowl crossed over his face.

"This is the end for you," Malik sneered, "weakling."

Malik raised his right hand, building dark force into a small orb of lightning, and fear began to conquer the Neimoidian's face completely. Malik's rage grew within him, and even he was surprised at the amount of power it gave him. It felt good, and he allowed it to blossom into what it would, using his body as the vessel of control. Finally, it boiled into a thick ball of red lightning, and Malik shot it straight at the power cell. The explosion was massive, but Malik didn't budge as the flames engulfed the entire hallway. He watched as the flames engulfed the Neimoidian's corpse, and passed over the aura of red force protecting him.

Nores' head jerked to the west as he not only heard the explosion, but felt the tremendous amount of force energy that had been expelled suddenly. Running as fast as he could, he knew Malik was now even more powerful, and he was even more motivated to kill him. Whatever had changed, there was no denying Malik's gain in power, and his newfound control of the dark side.

"A pity you weren't more of a challenge," Malik mumbled as he used the force to take the dead Neimoidian's saber from his burnt hand, "Perhaps Nores Kree will offer a greater challenge for me..."

He stood for a moment, twirling the sabers in a skilled flourish, and felt the dark side grow ever stronger inside of him. The force had become his most powerful ally, and he embraced it as he did everything else, with calm, relaxing patience. As he sat in the darkness of the Sith Tomb, awaiting the arrival of Darth Maul's descendant, he felt his power blossom into that of a true Sith.


	4. Ch 3: Past, Present, Destiny

_**3: Past, Present, Destiny**_

Deep in the northern jungles of Kashyyk, Xenos wandered still. It had been almost four hours since he'd set out to find this cave, but thus far he had barely managed to encounter anything even worth eating, much less looking at. His mind had remained clouded for most of they day, and although the humidity was thin now that it was late in the afternoon, the hot air that replaced it was close to unbearable.

_"Deal with it, weakling. It's only a little hot air," _His Sith training was definately still there, but now a more soothing, comforting voice challenged it.

Although he had been without water for most of the day, save for a few sips from some thick leaves, Xenos felt almost completely hydrated. Through his Jedi training, he'd learned many things about the force, but was only just beginning to utilize it. It had supplied him with the energy and means necessary for travel on this thick-aired planet, yet he still felt himself being exhausted. Finally, reaching some shade and a large rock, he sat down and allowed himself time to relax.

_"There there, weakling," _the dark side hissed through his mind, _"I'm sure another crazed Wookiee will be along shortly to eat you whole anyway."_

_ "Patients, youngling," _a much softer voice stoutly retorted,_ "You are much closer than you realise..."_

Xenos looked around, sensing tremendous force energy suddenly, and that's when he'd seen it. A few meters up from where he was sitting, the gaping mouth of a short cave sat in the side of a tall hill. Taking notice to some thick shrubbery and trees, he knew the climb looked deceivingly easier than it actually would be. He took a deep breath, stood up, and marched in its direction.

It had taken quite some time for the smoke and debris to clear from the narrow corridor where the burnt corpse of Kardol Shrata'al lay in a smelly pile of crisp organs and limbs. Malik was already accustomed to this smell, however Nores Kree was not. Malik watched from the shadows where the Neimoidian had hidden before as the descendant of Darth Maul slowly, and cautiously, waded into the dark room. Malik grinned widely, and almost had a hard time controlling his joy at finally fooling his former rival's senses.

Malik could feel the dark side of the force concealing him, and as he looked down, he noticed he was nearly invisible to himself as well as the Darminian Zabrak below. He had yet to gain full control of the force, but his knowledge of it was vast thanks to the Sith Holocron, which now sat uselessly in the center of the room. Nores stopped, smelling Malik's now dry blood on the floor, and knew he had been wounded. Though it was blatantly obvious to him that Malik was here, he couldn't sense where.

"What's wrong, human," Nores hissed through the darkness, "too afraid to face your fate?"

"My fate," Malik's voice echoed throughout the tomb, amplified by the force, "My fate will be that of a true Sith legend, while yours will end in slow, agonizing misery..."

Nores jerked his head in all directions attempting to locate the direction of the sound, but it was futile. He drew his light saber, along with Kod'lock's, and began to try feeling his way around the room, reaching out with the dark side. Malik cringed slightly, feeling disgustingly violated as Nores' force passed through him. Though Malik had felt it, Nores still couldn't locate him.

"Show yourself, coward," Nores hissed, however his voice was becoming less confident with each breath, "Face me as a true Sith."

"Do not speak of what a true Sith is," Malik roared back, loudly, and Nores felt his ears bleeding slightly, "Yours is the power given to you through blood, while mine stems from the true will of the dark side of the force!"

As Nores felt his head pounding wildly, and his ears bleeding profusely, he screamed in pain. It felt as if the very air around him were collapsing, and as Malik approached him from behind, he dropped his weapons, and knelt in pain. His screams filled the air with a sort of revitalizing sound, or at least that's how Malik felt. After two long years of being constantly hunted, attacked, and scrutinized by Nores, the sad excuse for a Sith was finally on his knees before Malik.

"As I told your friend Kardol," Malik whispered, kneeling to face Nores, "You lack the power to defeat me."

In a fury of dark rage, Nores immediately took up both sabers he'd dropped, and rushed at Malik in a crazed flourish. Drawing both his weapons as well, Malik deflected and dodged the Sith student's attacks with ease. He had broken Nores' mind, and before he was finished, he planned to break his soul, and then finally, his body. The Darminian Zabrak was lashing out with all his might, yet Malik only allowed the charade to last a few moments. He wanted Nores to feel as if he stood a chance, and then crush that spark of hope in an instant. He wanted his rival to feel all the things he'd made others feel before making them perish, and he would.

As Nores damaged the walls, and littered the air with sparks of embers and force lightning, Malik finally pushed him back with incredible might. The blast had been more potent than Malik intended it to be, but he didn't care in the least. Nores moaned in pain, and as he fell to the cold, dark ground, the massive gash in the wall where he'd hit it crumbled slightly. Slowly, Malik stepped forward, retracting his sabers, and lifted Nores in the air by his neck, using the force. He tried his best not to squeeze too hard, as he wanted the Sith to suffer even longer.

"Your time as a Sith is over," he growled, feeling his rage blossom into hatred, "and now..."

Unleashing the full fury of his anger, Malik slammed the Sith student multiple times into every wall, making even more gashes, and then finally down to the ground hard. Nores spit up blood, but was helpless against Malik's overwhelming power and might. As he struggled to get on his hands and knees, he looked up at Malik, and finally Malik could see the look of lost hope on the descendant's face. At first, he'd felt joy, but seeing that look began to turn his stomach, and without thinking or hesitating, he unleashed a fury of red lightning that filled the room, along with Nores Kree's cries of agonizing pain.

Malik's power had grown immensely, and as he unleashed the force on his rival's corpse, he felt both pleasure and release, for he had finally brought an end to this arrogant fool. The lightning streaming from his finger tips slowly began to burn and distort the former Sith's dead body into an unrecognizable pile of flesh, and soon, there was almost nothing left of his former rival. Finally, Malik settled himself, and began to laugh within his chest. It rose ever louder, and as the spark of dark insanity rose within him, his laughter filled the tomb entirely.

It had taken Xenos only a half hour to reach the cave's entrance, which didn't surprise him. He'd always been doted upon for his speed, for he was swift inside and outside of combat. Kashyyk had actually been a great training ground for him, mostly because it forced him to stay hidden while he traveled. The last thing he wanted to do here was attract the wrong attention, and he had come close with the crazed Wookiee he knew had followed him back.

As he took his first step inside, the voices in his head began to argue once again. He stepped back, and allowed himself a moment to clear his mind. The conflict of dark and light force within him was too much of a distraction, and he needed to be fully focussed in this cave. He could sense something familiarly desolate inside, and once he'd purged his mind entirely, he walked inside.

For the most part, the cave was empty, save for the insects that inhabited its dripping walls. As Xenos slowly drew deeper inside, he cautiously made notes of his surroundings, and mentally marked key locations so as to find his way back out. It was natural for both Sith and Jedi to think of an escape plan if the need arose, and they were trained well in the art. He remembered his Sith master's training, but he refused to use anything related to the dark side. From now on, he meant only to be a Jedi, and he would destroy the Sith at all costs.

About half an hour into the cave, he began to notice it changing. Turning around, he saw that he was somewhere completely different, yet still inside the cave. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sense of both failure and dispair as he soon realised he was lost. His anger rose like a tsunami in the ocean of his mind, but he managed to control it. _This is a test, _he thought to himself, _it has to be..._

He ventured on, and began to notice strange, glowing insignias carved into the wall as if with some kind of magic...or _force_. Taking a closer look, he saw the strange markings move, and recognized them as some long forgotten language as they swirled around wildly, and in random directions. As if for no clear reason, he backed away in slight fear and confusion, and found himself bumping into a person. He wheeled around, and saw an unfamiliar face before him. By the look of his robes, Xenos could clearly tell that he was a Jedi, but his eyes were nothing but dark holes, void of life.

Without knowing it himself, Xenos was now face to face with Galen Merek, a powerful force wielder, and one of Lord Vader's secret apprentices at one point. The apparition waved a hand, gesturing to a much deeper part of the cave. Immediately upon seeing it, Xenos could feel a powerful concentration of force energy issuing from the abyssal hole in the cave's far wall. Xenos took a step back at first, realising that the person before him must have been only an apparition, but then he dashed forward, entering blindly into the deeper part of the cave.

Malik had made his way out of the tomb, and back to the academy by sundown. Surprisingly enough, Korriban's weather had proved favorable for him, and there wasn't even so much as a breeze in the air. Sensing that the duel had ended, supervisor Brycen had called all students to the atrium in honor of their academy's champion. Malik Kajil had barely walked through the massive sliding doors that led to the dining hall, and upon entering, he only scowled at the students.

_"Look at them," _the dark side echoed in his mind, _"Such weak and desperate creatures, and hardly Sith at all...they are not worthy."_

As the supervisor approached, placing his arm on Malik's shoulder as he did so, Malik felt his anger ensuing. The arrogance of these fools was astounding, and although normally it had never bothered him, he was now enlightened, and could not tolerate the ignorance. For now, he would allow the supervisor to speak, but he was slipping, and knew he would either need to leave soon, or he would snap.

"Attention padawans and acolytes," Brycen began, speaking through his jaw apparatus, "Before you stands a true Sith. Look on him and know that no matter how hard your training has been, you do not compare to him. He is without a doubt totally and completely above your standing in the New Sith Empire."

Malik smirked slightly, and was thankful that his dark red robes concealed his face mostly. As the supervisor continued his speech, Malik shut out the sound of his voice, and looked around. He looked on all the faces of the students, hating each of them tremendously, and slowly stepped forward. He felt the dark side begin to course through him, but then he saw her again. That same girl, the one with green eyes, who had stared at him as if into his very soul. Such a curious creature to him, and yet she seemed so incredibly..._Sith. _He could feel her curiosity of him, and as her eyes remained focussed on his imposing posture, he embraced it.

"Thank you, supervisor Brycen," Malik retorted to a comment on pure instinct, "My fellow students, among you sits only one Sith worthy of the dark side, while the rest of you lack what is necessary to rebuild our order truly."

The students began to grow angry, and Malik relished in it. He wanted them infuriated, unhinged by their anger, for he knew it would make them easier prey. He glanced at the girl with green eyes, who must have only been a year or two younger than him, and winked. Pacing back and forth, he continued to bash and insult the students. Soon, their screams of blasphemy, arrogance, and hatred filled the room, echoing exceptionally loud.

"SILENCE," Malik roared, using the force to amplify his voice into an explosion of sound that shook the entire atrium, "You are all nothing compared to me, yet there is one among you who shall be spared..."

Drawing his light saber, Brycen was the first to try and stop Malik, sensing his destructive intentions. Malik whirled in place, faster than the supervisor could even comprehend visually, and decapitated him on the spot. In slow motion, or at least to Malik it was, Brycen's head was sent flying back, while his body merely hemorrhaged, and shook uselessly on the ground after collapsing. The sabers had seared the wound, saving Malik from a shower of blood. Most of the students stood in place, enraged, while a few others ran for the doors as Brycen's lifeless head bounced uselessly away from his corpse.

Malik rejoiced in the intense fear, feeling all the students become both terrified and enraged. Seeing the cowards attempt to escape both disgusted and amused him simultaneously, and he grimaced aggressively in hatred. Raising his right hand, he forced all the doors to close, and pulled three of the fleeing students from across the room to the air in front of him.

Glaring, he felt the rush of the dark side once more, and as it coursed through him like a raging river, he grinned. It felt good to have this much power; to _feel_ this much power. In an instant, he threw both his arms apart, and the students' painful screams were immediately silenced in a blood splattered frenzy of disembowelment as they were ripped apart by the force.

The other students could only watch in horror as the limbs, heads, and vital organs of their former compatriots fell to the ground in a bloody cluster of death. It was now obvious as to just how powerful Malik had truly become, and all were now filled with fear. Simultaneously, every padawan, acolyte, and Sith student drew their sabers to challenge Malik, and he simply smirked as the force empowered him tremendously, and he revealed his dual sabers.

The apparition of Galen Merek had vanished when Xenos dashed into the cave's inner sanctum, yet he still felt the old Jedi's presence. This part of the cave led to a large, empty, room-like structure, and the only present things intriguing to the eye were a few more strange markings, and the massive meditation circle drawn on the middle of the circular ground. Xenos guesstimated that he was about twenty feet up from the ground, and without hesitating, made a jump for it.

At first, his foot had slipped on the edge, but he managed to catch himself on the rocky surface with his left hand. Looking down, he couldn't see a bottom to the pit that extended below his dangling legs. _Way to go, Xenos_, he though to himself,_ you can't even make a simple jump. _Carefully, he hoisted himself back up to the circular meditation symbol, and walked to the center of it. The force was strong here, yet there was no way to distinguish which side was more prominent. In this one spot, the force was perfect; it was balanced.

He sat down, and meditated calmly for what at first seemed like mere minutes. About six hours later, the sound of a saber being extinguished from its hilt snapped him out of his deep trance. Suddenly, he felt revitalized completely, and the presence of the dark side of the force was gone. There was only light now, and he soon realised why upon opening his eyes.

Before him stood a pale, violet haired Sith, carrying a red saber, and boasting one mechanical arm made entirely of a thick, carbon-fiber steel alloy. Both eyes had been slashed wide open from the cheek bones to his hair line, and he had robotic implants on his right temple. He realised that he was seeing himself, or at least what he would become, should he fall to the dark side once again. He drew his light saber, which now had a smooth, purple light issuing from it, and challenged the Sith.

Immediately, their sabers clashed, and both flourished similarly. The only noticable differences were that the Sith was using a strong style, while Xenos used a calm, fluent style. Enraging the Sith further, Xenos opted to merely dodge and toy with him until his anger got the better of him. This turned out to be a bad idea, however, and Xenos was choked, and then tossed into a protruding rock spire on the western wall of the cave by the force.

Getting up swiftly, he cringed as he felt pain shoot through his right shoulder. Reaching over, he felt the blood dripping from it, and saw it staining his shirt. Feeling his rage grow somewhat, he heard his master's words echo through his mind, ushering him to control his rage. Finally snapping out of the pull to the dark side, Xenos tightened his focus, and went on the offensive. In four swift strokes, he had busted the Sith's defenses wide open, and severed the non-mechanical arm completely, which took the red saber with it. Turning on the spot in a tornado kick, the heel of his boot collided with the Sith's lower jaw, and knocked his dark self off the circular battleground into the bottomless pit.

Xenos glared down and watched as the creature that used to be the dark part of him vanished forever. Suddenly, he felt a surge of powerful force energy flow through his entire body, touching everything on him from head to toe, and it were as if all the knowledge of the light side were beckoning to him. He began to meditate again, and didn't awaken from his trance for an entire day.

His mind raced through the past, and he saw countless Jedi Knights and Masters, the techniques they had perfected, the feats they'd accomplished, and even the Sith Lords who'd fallen to their might. He took deep breaths, subconsciously, and as he took in all the information being bestowed upon him, his body grew more attuned to the force.

About twenty four hours had passed when he finally emerged from the cave, and his wisdom had changed him. Across the galaxy, he could sense the powerful Sith who threatened to destroy everything in his path, and Xenos now knew why he had been given these gifts. It would take years to master, but when he was ready, he would destroy the Sith, as a younger part of his soul had once dreamed of doing.


	5. Ch 4: Across The Stars

_**4: Across The Stars**_

_"Yes," _the dark side hissed as the last of the students collapsed with saber slashes covering his face and torso,_ "So delicious, so good..."_

Malik paced slowly, taking in the sight of the dead students who had barely managed to exhaust even a portion of his energy. It was both strange and fascinating to him how lifeless they truly were now, when only moments ago they had been attacking him in a desperate urge of pure survival. The sounds of their sabers clashing with his, and the feeling of their weak connection to the dark side attempting to attack him. Only one student had been spared, as he'd promissed before his attack, and as he slowly approached the girl, he couldn't quite tell wether or not she was frightened of him.

"What is your name," he asked in a deep, dark voice, "It's okay, you can tell me."

At first the girl had said nothing, still in shock from what had just happened, and unaware about why he hadn't killed her. She stood up slowly, keeping her gaze on him, and was careful not to step on any of the dead students' corpses or severed limbs. Malik took note of how seamlessly she seemed to move, and although she was graceful, he could tell she would strike at any moment, should he make the wrong impression.

"Athaliah," the girl replied, looking Malik directly in his deep, red eyes, "My name is Athaliah."

"What a stunning name," Malik replied softly, keeping the dark tone in his voice, "Come with me..."

They walked together, and soon Malik had led them both to the eastern docking bay. It was here that the older students were trained to pilot the Sith Imperial fighters. Their design was derivative from the old TIE fighters used by Darth Vader and Lord Sideous over a century ago, although they were somewhat thinner and longer than their predecessors. Malik had snuck in here on multiple occasions, finding himself bored of the simple force exercises the masters held for all younger students, and even managed to take part in various flight simulations under the names of absentee students who'd been killed in their training exercises.

He chose the fighter he'd used most throughout the exercises, and climbed into the cockpit with ease. Athaliah watched as he fired up the engines, powering on the turbines, and as the fighter roared into life, he gestured for her to join him. Despite all that had happened, she was still uncertain as to what his intentions were, but she nonetheless climbed into the other seat of the cockpit with him.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing," she asked in an uncertain tone, "we haven't even been trained yet."

"You will find that I am capable of many things," Malik said, turning his head slightly, "padawan."

The octagon-shaped glass sealed shut over the front of the fighter, and as they slowly approached the exiting doors of the docking bay, Malik smirked. After all this time, he was finally free from this place, and his nightmare would soon end. He now sought only to take his revenge, and claim the Sith Empire for himself. Boosting out of the academy with a burst of speed, they took off into the stars, and Malik made his way to the first Sith Star Destroyer he saw.

A voice blared over the fighter's intercom asking for the Sith Imperial codes for the sector they were in, but Malik did not know them. Waving his hand, he feigned static over the intercom, and fooled them into thinking it was an emergency boarding. Although Malik knew they wouldn't be so easily fooled, it had saved him the trouble of rushing past the massive starship's outer defenses, and allow him to land in their docking bay. As the average-sized fighter slowly hummed and landed, Malik took note of the mass of Imperial officers making their way around his fighter, guns drawn, and he grinned.

"Well that worked out just perfectly," Athaliah remarked as Malik landed the shuttle, "Now maybe we can give them the codes? Oh yeah, I forgot, we don't know them."

"Don't think that just because I spared you means I'll tolerate your attitude," Malik shot back, "mind your place, or you'll learn what happens to those who try my patience, padawan."

Looking down, Malik could see the officers and guards surrounding his fighter, and he counted them in his head. There were a good number of them, and although he could probably take them, he knew it would be easier if his passenger could aid him. He'd never noticed her before, and as such, he realised he didn't actually know how skilled she was with a saber or the force. _Only one way to find out,_ he thought to himself, and then opened the shuttle's octagonal frame to exit the fighter.

"Stop right there," a guard said through his thick, black helmet, "Show me some I.D."

"You want my identification," Malik growled with a sinister smile, "How about you get out of my way, along with your friends, and direct me to the command station immediately."

"Get on the ground," the guard shouted as he raised his blaster, "Now!"

For a moment, none of them moved, but within seconds, Malik had advanced on the guard, impaling his weak, black trooper armor, then sent his body flying at another group of guards. He knew there were too many to take down head on, but so long as he kept moving, and distracted them with flying objects and corpses, he could keep them disoriented. Blaster fire immediately showered on him and Athaliah, and they were now a blur of red and black that the officers couldn't even track visually.

"_This _was your plan all along," Athaliah shouted as she threw her saber wide to the right, decapitating three guards.

"Oh come on," Malik replied, electrocuting one guard and then pushing him back into a few others, causing a chain reaction, "is this not more amusing?"

"It would be amusing not to destroy _all_ of the ship's forces," she replied as they both deflected blaster fire back at some guards and then advanced, "We might need them later on!"

Malik simply smirked, and the two Siths leapt into the air high, and simultaneously slammed down on the ground with the force, knocking back the rest of the guards and officers. For a moment, a few tried to get up, but were then knocked unconscious from the impact. Malik looked over at Athaliah, who was glaring at him angrily.

"We need to establish some ground rules here," she began.

"Indeed we do," Malik said, and used the force to make her kneel, "From this moment on, you are my apprentice and I am your master. You will do my bidding, never questioning me, and you will help me rule this galaxy and its empire. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Athaliah replied with a slightly annoyed tone, "my master."

There was a brief moment of tension, but then they both made their way to the docking bay's main elevator. Taking it all the way up to the main command center, Malik was prepared for anything that would happen next, and felt Athaliah's anger slowly receding. Although she didn't like the idea of serving another master, she would rather be a living apprentice, than a dead Sith. Finally, the elevator stopped, and they made their way across the main bridge.

xxxxxxx

Just outside the entrance to the cave, Xenos was dressing his wound and trying to keep the horde of mesquito-like insects away from it. Though he knew the apparition hadn't been truly real, the damage had been, and he was now bleeding slightly. He had to admit it felt good to finally be free of the dark side, and he soon began to make his way through the jungles he'd spent months in. Upon arriving here, he'd had no intentions of becoming a Jedi, but now that he was, he felt extremely relieved.

The humidity was back, and as the sun began to set and night fell upon him, he reached out with the force to make his way through. He could feel everything now; the trees, the bugs, even where a few stray Wookiees had burrowed themselves into trees for the night. It would be about a four day journey back to his ship, and he planned to spend that time contemplating where he would go next. Letting the force guide him, he remained calm and patient for the rest of the night, and walked on.

Orbiting Trandosha, aboard the infamous Raven's Claw-1, a bounty hunter stalked the fleet of rebel starships that hovered over both this planet, and Kashyyk. For some time now, Willow had spent most of the day and night cycles cleaning her weapons, as well as ensuring her ship's hull and infrastructure were spotless. Aside from her precision, she prided herself in her ability to keep up appearances. Getting close to a target was as easy as a sweet smile for her. In fact, she had turned in half of her bounties on a hand shake and a drink. These days, everyone was easy to persuade, but not this time.

The job called for the head of the last Jedi, and she had tracked her target all the way to Kashyyk. Despite her skills, she knew trying to fool anyone who used the force was a death sentence, and she wasn't about to chase him through the thick jungles of the Wookiee home world. What surprised her the most was that the Sith Empire hadn't come to vanquish the rebels yet, though she didn't truly care. Choosing a side was bad for business, and so she merely worked for whoever offered more credits for the job.

She had studied up on her target recently: He was a Jedi Master, and a member of the Council before their termination, at which point he was presumed dead. He had been given a mechanical heart, along with a kidney and liver transplant, and miraculously survived his wounds. _Damned wizards,_ she thought to herself in annoyance, _must be difficult to kill._ Yet she frothed at the thought of a real challenge, and with the amount of credits she was going to get paid, she knew that the target must have been someone worth hunting, and so she had made every effort to ensure success.

She planned carefully, and had every weapon in her arsenal available. On her person, she carried a long range blaster rifle, equipped with a custom scope that could range up to twelve kilometers, a signature explosive blaster pistol, two thermal detonators, and a vibro-knife with a toxic injection close to the tip. Her armor was thick, but the metal alloy it consisted of made it light-weight and durable all at once. Finally, she noted a familiar Sith fighter snaking its way through the rebel blockade, and decided to follow it. She knew that the Sith could have beaten her to the Jedi, and if so, she would merely kill them instead, and bring them back to her contractor and claim the reward.

She watched as the ship slowly slipped by the blockade easily, most likely using some upgraded radar deflector shield, and then she took off after it. Just before the small fighter launched into hyper space, she locked onto its coördinates. She was no stranger to tracking ships, and having a built-in hyper drive splicer helped tremendously. Following the fighter to its destination, the stars whizzed by blindingly, and she focussed intently on her ship's monitor, waiting for the system she would go to to end this.

Unaware that he was being tailed by this bounty hunter, Xenos finally pulled out of hyper space, and had arrived at his destination. His massive home world orbited idly in front of him, and he tried to remember the last time he'd been here. It felt like a lifetime ago, long before the Sith Lord Krotuss had come to claim him as an apprentice, and then murdered his family. He once felt hatred and anger, and despite himself, that had been what turned him to the dark side at such a young age. For years, all he'd known was the thrill of hunting and killing Jedi, and the overwhelming presence of the dark side corrupting him.

Corellia was now dominated by the Sith Empire, with their armies and resistance forces dwindled in the early years of the invasion. As he landed on the docking bay in the Coronet City spaceport, and gave the imperial codes for the sector. He wasn't here to start a fight, but to return home for a time. He needed to meditate and relax, and this would be the perfect place for him to do so.

The southern continent he resided on had been just as bright and warm as he remembered, and he greeted the Sith Imperial officers as they saluted him, which had been a newly developed custom ordered by Krotuss' mandate. Just thinking of his old Sith master gave him chills, but he pushed such thoughts from his mind, and headed west into the city, making his way home.

xxxxxxx

"How dare you," the starship's commanding officer scolded as Malik approached, "Your masters will surely hear about thi-"

"My masters are no more," Malik growled angrily as he choked the commander with the force, making the human gag uncontrollably, "I'm in charge now, and you will take me to Mustafar so that I may take my rightful place in the galaxy," then he glared, releasing the commander.

"U-understood," the commander stuttered nervously as Malik walked past the kneeling human, "M-my lord. You heard him men," the commander ordered, "Set a course for Mustafar straight away!"

As Malik stood in a similar place where Krotuss had on his now decimated starship, he and Athaliah watched as the stars blurred past them with incredible speed. _Traveling through space once again_, Malik thought to himself, _such a mundane task._ It didn't take long for the massive ship to arrive at its destination, and Malik turned to Athaliah.

"I am sure that you will accompany me to the planet's surface," Malik said blatantly to Athaliah, "my young apprentice."

"Yes, master," Athaliah replied in a calm voice, "So will we be exterminating the weaklings together?"

"No," Malik replied as they made their way to the ship's docking bay, "I will deal with the remaining Sith on my own. You are to go to their fighters, and sabotage them, by any means necessary."

"It will be done milord," Athaliah replied with a nod, "Anything else?"

"When you're finished," Malik added, "you will return to this star destroyer, and await my return."

Malik climbed back into his fighter, but this time, Athaliah chose a shuttle of her own. The docking bay had a few Sith Imperial fighters of its own, but closer to the back, in the shadows of the bay, she saw what appeared to be a confiscated rebel ship. Upon closer inspection, she realised it was an old TIE fighter, redesigned with deep, red markings on the side, and had been equipped with missile launchers capable of heat seeking. As she climbed inside the TIE fighter with a smirk, she heard Malik's fighter go roaring out of the bay, and exit into the void of space.

Although she'd had no previous pilot training, she had read books about the infamous TIE fighters used long ago by the old Galactic Empire, and recognized the controls in a sense. After a moment, she'd powered it on, and made here descent below towards the volcanic planet's surface. She was thankful to see that a newer radar model had been installed, and guessed that the fighter must have been someone's side project. _It would be best served in the hands of a Sith,_ she thought to herself, and landed on the closest space port. In the distance, her new master could be seen hurrying along, most likely searching for the remaining Sith students. She made her way across the landing platforms, noticing the familiar sight of Sith fighters nearby, she began to channel her dark side energy through anger.

xxxxxxx

Corellia wasn't a strange planet to Willow, but she always felt uncomfortable here. It was always crawling with Sith Imperials and officers, and its not as if bounty hunters were welcomed with open arms. She hated the judgemental stares of passersby, knowing full well she could kill them with ease, yet she never did. That was her policy: never kill anything that doesn't benefit you. So she merely ignored them, and followed Xenos closely. First she would question him, try to keep things from getting out of hand, and then once she had what she needed...well that could wait. For now, she had only one goal: determine whether or not her target had been prematurely eliminated.


	6. Ch 5: Ascension

_**5: Ascension**_

Although Willow usually took the direct approach, there was a certain satisfaction in fooling her targets. She had only followed Xenos for an hour before he finally requested a speeder to take him to his destination. She'd posed as a speeder pilot, and offered to take him there for free. _Anything for a Sith,_ she'd told him. She chuckled slightly, and they sped towards his old home.

Xenos found he was distrusting of his driver, but her gesture had been so appealing that he didn't complain. Instead, he was attempting to remember what little he could about his parents. He'd been so young when Lord Krotuss had found him, that he realised he hardly remembered them at all. He started to question why he was even returning here, yet he had to. Something in the force was drawing him to it, and it was irresistable. Within hours of departing, they finally arrived, and Xenos calmly made his way to the old structure.

The walls had already rusted, and there was a thick scent in the air which suggested it hadn't been lived in for some time now. _That's odd,_ Xenos thought, _they used to be neat freaks._ Stepping inside, the smell of rotten flesh hung in the air like a sick animal, and Xenos had to stop himself from vomiting. It didn't take long for him to find two corpses, and he barely recognized the face of his mother and father. He knelt, and as he struggled to keep his composure, he felt the dark emotions he used to give into swell inside his chest. Anger, pain, grief...all were emotions he knew well, and he used to exploit in others. _No, _he thought to himself, _I'm a Jedi now, I'm better than this..._

It took about an hour for Xenos to return to the speeder, but its pilot was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he felt an incredible sense of alertness, but it was too late. All he could remember before blacking out was the sharp sensation of a dart enter his neck, and the sound of a woman's voice.

xxxxxxx

Out of all the skills Athaliah had acquired as a mechanic in her father's old shop, she most prided herself on her ability to rig vehicles to have meltdowns. It was a family secret her father had shown her, but that was a long time ago, before the Academy found her. She had developed this skill so well that she could rig almost any vehicle to do whatever she wanted, whether that be shutting down fully, or even exploding. She smiled as she worked, and although she knew not all of them would be used, she still wanted to see some explosions go off. She glanced over at Malik's fighter, and contemplated rigging it as well, but she decided against it without fully knowing why.

Meanwhile, investigating a nearby control station, Malik was searching for the other students. He'd seen their fighters, yet he couldn't sense anyone thus far. He'd felt a slight shift as soon as he arrived, but then it was gone. Although he couldn't sense them, he knew someone was nearby, and most likely watching him. _So, _Malik thought to himself, _you wanna play the hiding game, eh?_ Glaring at the structure's monitor, he immediately zapped it with force lightning, then everything went black, and got very quiet.

He stopped moving, embracing the darkness of his surroundings, and reached out with the dark side. The silence in te air was heavy, but Malik could almost feel someone to his right. He looked over suddenly, and the figure bolted for the door. Drawing his sabers, he dashed after it. Outside the second door, and on a long bridge, Malik chased after the boy. He was shorter than Malik, and had dark brown hair. From behind, he looked very thin, even for his age, but Malik could sense his true nature. This boy was strong in the force, and they both knew it.

"Enough of this," Malik said as he stopped chasing the boy and reached out with the force, "Face me, you coward!"

Sending a strong wave of force energy, Malik landed a direct hit, and the boy flew into the air violently, then landed hard on his side. Smirking, Malik slowly walked over, sabers drawn, and prepared to fight. In his arrogance, Malik hadn't sensed the boy's anger rise dangerously, and was caught off guard by a powerful push. Retracting his sabers, Malik flew backwards through the air, and into the wall of the structure he'd just exited.

"You shouldn't have done that," the boy shouted with an insane tone, "Don't make me angry! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!"

His scream echoed violently, and the entire bridge shook from the force of it. Malik glared, but in truth, he was happy to have a real challenge for once, and got back up. He said nothing as he ran at the boy, using the force to move faster, and the boy drew a double-bladed saber. As Malik flourished, testing out the boy's skills, he noted his dark green eyes. He'd never seen a Sith with green eyes before, other than his apprentice, and he was now intrigued. _I wonder if that has anything to do with his power,_ Malik thought, and he landed a hard kick on the boy's cheek that knocked him back hard.

He was succeeding in angering the young Sith, but he realized he was underestimating him. Soon, Malik found he was being pushed back as their sabers clashed. The boy was indeed powerful, and with each crushing blow from the double-bladed light saber, Malik could feel the boy's power rise.

"Where are the other students," Malik growled as they clashed, "Did you run away from them as well?"

"SHUT UP," the boy shouted in anger, "I killed them, they were weak, just like you!"

"That's where you're wrong," Malik retorted, and then flourishing skillfully, he struck the hilt on one side, disabling one of the blades, and then kicked the saber from the boy's hand.

The boy's weapon fell about two kilometers down into the flowing magma, and was backing away from Malik. As Malik stepped forward, building his rage, the boy grew even angrier. Malik smirked, and as he prepared to kill the last remaining Sith student, he could feel the dark side flowing through him violently.

"You just don't get it do you," the boy shouted angrily, "No one can kill me, and once I'm done with you, I'm going to kill all the other Sith too. Everyone will fear the name Samuel!"

"Samuel," Malik shouted back in an incredulous laugh, "_That's your name?_ That's hilarious!"

"SHUT UP," Samuel shouted angrily as Malik laughed uncontrollably, "You'll regret making fun of me!"

Malik grabbed his sides as they cramped up from laughter. As he did so, the young Sith gathered an incredible amount of dark energy, and fired it at Malik. The push was so strong that the bridge crumbled slightly, and Malik went flying off the bridge, and fell towards the river of magma down below. _Not good, not good, _was all Malik could think. Frantically, he searched for a way out, and suddenly caught sight of a droid down below. He needed only to land on it to survive, but he knew he would still break a few bones.

Thinking Malik was dead, the boy made his way back to the landing platforms, and returned to his ship. Athaliah, feeling the boy coming, hid inside her own ship, and watched cautiously as the unfamiliar student climbed into his cockpit, and started his ship. She heard the engines roar into life, saw the thrusters engaging, and watched as it took off into the stars. _Three, two, one,_ she counted in her head, and sure enough, the Sith fighter exploded. Bouncing in her seat with excitement, she squealed with glee.

Unbeknownst to the disintegrated student, she had rigged the fighter to self destruct at a certain altitude, and the Sith had indeed reached that height. Debris and burnt ship parts rained down from the sky in chunks, and she saw something fleshy falling as well. With a massive thud, the boy's body flopped onto the glass of her cockpit, and slowly slid off. Immediately, she angrily stepped out, and went to clean the glass shield.

Malik was falling very fast, and until now, he hadn't realized he had a fear of heights. This was odd considering he was an excellent pilot, and didn't have a problem travelling through space, but there was something about the magma below and the lack of control that he didn't like. The droid had been stopped in place by the force, and although he'd landed directly on the large carrying unit that was attached to the droid, he felt and heard his right leg shatter. He cried out in pain, but nonetheless, he'd survived, and now he was angry.

xxxxxxx

It hadn't taken long for Willow to drag Xenos to her ship, and off the planet. In fact, her neurotoxin was equipped with a blood thinning agent that made her targets a tad bit lighter then they normally would be. She'd picked up the recipe from a group of smugglers she'd worked with on occasion, and perfected the technique. It was useful in situations where you couldn't afford to get your hands dirty, but didn't want to abandon the bounty. She knew it would keep him under for awhile, and so she locked in the coordinates for Nar Shaddaa, and they blasted off into hyper space.

Although going from the center of the galaxy all the way to the eastern sector of the Hutta System usually took awhile, Willow's advanced hyperdrive core cut the time down to almost half of what it would normally take, and by the time her captive was awake, they had arrived on the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shaddaa. It was here that Willow truly felt home, for it was here that she had grown up. She knew half of the smugglers and traders here easily, and the others knew better than to get in her way. The Sith Empire took no interest in the various smuggling operations that were run here, and as such, their presence was scarce.

Xenos awoke calmly, and took in his surroundings. He'd never been to Nar Shaddaa before, yet the force assured him that was where they had come. He could see various sentients around them, all gathered and communing like old friends, yet he felt uncomfortable here. Willow uncuffed him from her ship's cargo hold, and bound his hands with steel cuffs that snapped in place with a computerized locking mechanism. Although he could now walk, he realised he couldn't move his hands or arms normally, and thus using the force would be too dangerous for him. For now, he followed Willow patiently, and remained quiet.

xxxxxxx

Athaliah sat beside her ship in a dazed look of confusion, and had already cleaned off her ship. Before now, she didn't realise how she'd missed the painful sounds of the groaning student, nor could she comprehend how he'd survived the explosion and the fall. As he squirmed and wriggled in agony on the ground near her fighter, she noticed that he'd lost his legs and half of his left arm. As for the rest of his body, it had been burned badly, and there was exposed bone and muscle tissue covering the majority of his seared flesh. With the other arm, he was clawing his way towards her, moaning.

"_Help...me,_" he pleaded in a raspy voice, "_Please..._"

The site of him dragging himself towards her both grossed her out, and scared her. This was so much easier when the people just died, but somehow, he'd survived. She slowly backed away, and bumped into someone a little taller than her. She wheeled around, startled, and drew her saber. Drawing his own, Malik blocked her strike with a smile.

"Take it from that guy," he said gesturing to the decimated student, "Killing me isn't that easy."

"M-master," she stuttered trying to gain her composure as she retracted her saber, "Forgive me, you merely startled me."

"That's alright," he said with a gesture, "Now what happened here?"

"He was attempting to escape in his fighter," she replied, "but I rigged it to explode. Somehow...he's still alive, master."

"Interesting," Malik mumbled as he approached the student on the ground.

Samuel glared up at him violently, but was too weak and damaged to attack. Malik reached down, shoving his finger into the boy's arm, and scratching his exposed bone hard. Samuel screamed in agonizing pain, but all he could do was thrash and squirm, ripping off more of his flesh as he did so.

"Just kill me," the Sith growled in pain, "End this pain, take your place as Lord of the Sith...kill me..."

"I shall take my place," Malik replied with a smile, "but you may yet be of some use to me..."

Taking the Samuel into his fighter, he and Athaliah returned to their star destroyer, and Malik immediately took the young Sith to the medical bay. They cleaned off his burned flesh, and using advanced medical technology, removed the dead bones and flesh and replaced them with metallic plates and artificial flesh.

The boy's internal organs had sustained heavy damage, and as such were replaced with robotic implants. The only thing that remained was his heart, which had been undamaged save for the tainted blood that flowed through it. Malik had also order the droids to place a control chip into the boy's brain, forcing his loyalty to be with Malik. For the final touch, a steel helmet covered his head entirely, with dark holes for the eyes, and had a built-in respirator.

With a loud burst of air, the respirator powered on, and as Malik and Athaliah watched, the Sith slowly rose from his operating table, breathing heavily. He stepped forward, glaring at his two masters with intense rage, but then knelt. Malik smirked, taking pride in his work on the boy, and gestured for him to rise.

"How do you feel," Malik asked with a grin, "assassin?"

"Like killing," Samuel replied in a somewhat robotic tone, altered by the respirator, "What is thy bidding, my master?"

"You are now my slave," Malik stated, "You will be sent to all sectors to hunt down and destroy the so-called Sith, and you will not stop until they are all dead."

"It will be done, milord," Samuel replied with a nod.

"Henceforth, you shall be called Darth Syntarus," Malik continued.

"Where shall I strike first, master" Darth Syntarus asked.

"Take a ship, and head for the planet Coruscant, where the second Sith academy was constructed. Strike down all the Sith at the academy, show no mercy, and leave none alive."

"Yes master," Syntarus replied, "It will be done."

With that, the Sith assassin marched away, and took a ship as he was instructed. Malik and Athaliah made their way out of the medical bay, and back to the command center on the ship. Setting a course for Corellia, Malik felt the familiar sensation of the ship going into hyper space, and they were off.

xxxxxxx

Willow had taken her prisoner back to one of her many hideouts. Since she spent almost all of her time on the job, Willow never felt the need to stay grounded in one area for too long. Almost every pit-stop planet, as she reffered to them, had a hideout run by people she trusted. It made laying low, and escaping Sith Imperials incredibly easy and relaxing. She had a home-made holding cell in the main room where she stored her bounty targets, dead or alive, and shoved Xenos into it. Without saying anything, she walked back outside.

Xenos sat down, knowing fully that he was capable of escaping, but he knew it was futile. He wouldn't be able to get out of here without killing someone, and he didn't want to risk falling to the dark side again. Willow waited until she was in the privacy of her own room before she removed her helmet, and allowed herself a moment to relax. She was certain that her bounty had been killed already, but she knew she had to question Xenos just to be sure. Despite being a hardened bounty hunter, she still dreaded torturing people. Killing was one thing, but causing pain made her uneasy unless it was truly scum.

Just as she put her helmet back on, a younger male came into her room. He was in his teens, and his dark blonde hair made his brown eyes look brighter somehow. She recognized Dakriel anywhere, though it had been some time since she'd seen him. In a way, he was like a son to her, being that his parents were smugglers and rarely payed him any mind. She recalled the day she'd found him scrounging in the waste dumps for scraps of food, and took him in.

He was handy to have around, and not only did he keep things clean around here, but he was technologically savvy. On multiple occasions, he had managed to repair her weapons and gadgets even better than she herself could, and that made him valuable. It had become an unspoken exchange; he cleaned and fixed her things, and she fed him and gave him shelter.

"How did it go," Dakriel asked her in a curious tone, "another successful mission?"

"Not this time," she replied with a smile, "but I found someone wo can make it successful."

"Another live one," he groaned, "but Willow, I'm hungry."

"No," she snapped, "No complaining. Did you clean the speeder like I asked you to?"

"Yes," he said looking down, "but there's no more food, Arthingir ate it again. It's been two days now..."

"Arthingir," she mumbled, then began to think again.

Although she'd known many unpleasant bounty hunters in her time, Arthingir was notorious for being on her bad side. He was a gray Trandoshan with a bad temper, and an appetite to match. She'd warned him on numerous occasions to stay away from her stores of food, and even explained that they were solely for Dakriel, yet he refused to heed her warnings. Feeling her anger rise, she calmed herself down. Getting pissed wouldn't solve her problems, but the blaster in her clenched fist just might.

She stood up, storming over to the Trandoshan's rented suite, and blasted her way in. Immediately, Arthingir shot at her with his two blasters, and Willow ducked behind a thick table for cover.

"Willow," the lizard-like alien shouted in his native tongue, "What's the meaning of this, I thought we were allies?"

"I warned you the next time I found out you'd been messing with Dakriel, I'd have your head. I'm here to cash in!"

She ran from cover to cover, carefully avoiding the speedy blaster fire from her enemy, and got closer and closer. Finally, she heard the familiar sound of a blaster's battery going dry, and rushed him. Trandoshans were well known for their strength and prowess in physical combat, but Willow had taken down stronger enemies in her time. Tackling him, she lifted him then slammed him down hard on the table in the center of the room. It broke under his weight, but he quickly clawed at her violently, growling and hissing.

He'd caught her eye, but luckily it would only bruise. He stood back up, and she found herself dodging and ducking to avoid being slashed open by his claws. Smirking, she pulled out her vibro knife, and as Arthingir clawed wide from the right, she twirled, then jammed the knife up through his lower jaw, and into his skull. The movement had been too fast for Arthingir to comprehend, and he died in shock as she twisted the knife, then yanked it out hard. With a massive thud, the creature collapsed in a bloody pool of green.

Dakriel had watched the entire ordeal, and ran back to Willow's room crying. She'd never told him what it was she actually did for a living, but she knew that he realised the full extent now. The last thing she wanted to add to her conscience was scarring a kid for life, but there was nothing she could do about it now except talk to him. She cleaned her weapon, sheathed the knife, then went back to her room. She found Dakriel sitting in front of her weapons cache, and he was holding a scatter blaster, and pointing it at her.

"You gonna kill me too," he whimpered at her with tears in his eyes.

"It's not like that," she said in a soft voice, "I'm a bounty hunter, and so was he. I warned him-"

"You _killed him,_" Dakriel shouted angrily, "All he did was eat some food, and you gutted 'em like a fish!"

"Trust me he had it coming," she replied as she slowly approached him.

"So you're a bounty hunter, not a warrior," he stated, "So you make money, by killing people?"

"Yes," she replied, "I've taken care of you and fed you with the money as well, and no matter how I did it, I earned it. That's why I killed Arthingir."

"If all you care about is money," he responded, "then why do you even care about me?"

"I," she paused looking away from him, "I just do..."

There was a long pause, but finally, she had taken the scatter blaster out of his hands, and held him close. He sobbed for a moment, then stopped, and he began to harden emotionally. He slowly pushed her from him, then looked up.

"Teach me," he said, "I want to do what you do, I want to earn my food."

She looked down, and almost rejected him for a moment, but she recognized the look in his eye. If she didn't teach him, he'd learn on his own, and probably get himself killed doing it. It was the look she used to have, long ago, and so she nodded. She helped him up, and took him to the holding room.


	7. Ch 6: Tremors in the Force

_**6: Tremors In The Force**_

It hadn't taken long for Malik's Sith-Imperial Star Destroyer to reach Corellia. Over the course of their journey to Corellia, Malik had sensed an uneasiness in his apprentice, and he knew it had to do with Darth Syntarus. He hadn't shown her the slightest hint of interest in the subject, and yet she had continuously gazed at him on multiple occasions. Finally growing fed up with it, he'd summoned her to his fighter, which was being remodelled to be made capable of long distance travel, and they now sat just outside the cockpit.

"I sense something troubling you," Malik stated after a long pause, taking a drink out of the metallic grail on the nearby table, "What is it?"

"It's nothing master," she replied, looking down slightly, "It's just...I don't understand why you didn't kill him. I'm perfectly capable of hunting down and defeating the Sith myself."

"I'm well aware of how powerful you are," Malik replied, "and that's why I need you by my side, apprentice."

"I don't understand," she said shaking her head, "You're already powerful on your own, what do you need me for?"

"I felt something when I was down in those tombs," Malik replied, "There was a tremor in the force. At first it was small, but then it rapidly grew larger."

"What could it mean," she replied.

"There are only two beings capable of making tremors in the force that large," he said, "Sith Lords...and Jedi..."

For a moment, neither of them made a sound. Athaliah now knew why her master had sent a mere assassin after the Sith, and was determined to keep her close. The more she thought, however, the more she began to question things. If this new Jedi was powerful, would she not need to become stronger? If so, how was allowing some mechanical abomination to do what she herself desired to do going to strengthen her? Perhaps her jealousy or rage would do the trick, but if it were that easy, she wouldn't need Malik for that.

Malik's knowledge of the dark side was still developing, yet he sensed that this new Jedi was strong in the force. Perhaps it was stronger than him, or perhaps not. The Jedi were long since extinct, yet he was almost certain that that's what he'd felt. A tremor such as this was no mere coincidence, and the presence was strong on this planet.

Using a Sith-Imperial shuttle, they descended to Corellia's surface, landing at the same spaceport Xenos had been to recently. As soon as they stepped off the landing platform, and made their way down into the populace, Malik could sense the faint trail of force left behind by the careless Jedi. It was definitely the light side of the force he felt, and he snarled. It felt warm and peacefull, and filled him with disgust. _Peace is a lie, _he thought to himself, ignoring the light side completely.

"I sense it, master," Athaliah declaired, "So it was a Jedi you felt before."

"At first I merely sensed a tremor in the force," Malik responded, "but I now am certain it's a Jedi."

At first, the trail had been difficult to follow, mostly due to the very faint energy, and the mass of sentients bustling about in the mid-day sun. He, along with his apprentice, followed the trail that the Force left behind, and found themselves in front of a burned down building. There weren't any blaster marks, but merely a few blast points from remote explosives. _This wasn't an Imperial strike, _Malik thought to himself, _much too accurate for troopers. _He waited for a moment, and then entered the structure.

xxxxxxx

Xenos had sensed the familiar sensation of death from the other room, but there was something else that was tugging at his attention. A small tremor in the force, barely enough to rouse his suspicion, had snapped him out of his curiosity. The sound of blaster fire confirmed his thoughts, but that wasn't what had caused the tremor. This feeling was still very much alive, and almost new. Before he could sense what it was, the bounty hunter returned, and this time with a young boy next to her. Xenos took note of his eyes, and knew he'd been crying, then he felt the tremor again.

"...and this is my current prisoner," Willow said to Dakriel, "I have yet to determine his usefullness to me, and then I decide what he's worth."

"I see," Dakriel replied in a cold tone, "Shouldn't be too hard; he looks weak anyways."

"I assure you," Xenos said with a kind smile, "I may be a lot of things, but weak is on the bottom of the list."

"Silence, fool," Willow shouted and pushed a button on her wrist guard.

Immediately, the cage burst with a powerful jolt of electricity. Xenos felt his entire body jerk and go stiff, and his mind was temporarily blanked out. Finally being released from the jolt, he growled in pain as he tried to catch his breath. He'd never liked bounty hunters, but this one was determined to get on his bad side.

"Some day," Xenos replied, "I hope the Jedi aren't treated as violently as I am."

"Do you take me for a fool," Willow said, slowly kneeling to Xenos' eye level, "There aren't any Jedi; haven't been any around for almost a century. You must be a Sith."

"If I am Sith," Xenos replied, nodding at his light saber on the table across from the cage, "why isn't my light saber red?"

"Dakriel," Willow said looking at the boy, "bring me the prisoner's weapon."

Nodding, he walked over to the table, grabbed the weapon, and handed it to Willow. Although he now knew she was a bounty hunter, the sight of her in her armor still made him uneasy. The visor on her helmet was in the menacing shape of a T, and rimmed with a dark crimson. The helmet itself was such a dark colored steel that it may as well have been painted black. The only accents were a small antennae, and a few blast marks. Whatever it was made from was incredibly durable, and nearly impenetrable.

"So what," Willow said, studying Xenos' light saber, "I'm supposed to believe that, because your toy is a different color, you're not a Sith?"

"If you think it's a toy," Xenos replied with a glare, "give it to your brat over there."

"Fine," she said with a smirk, "Here, Dakriel, play with this and try your best to break it."

"So that's his name," Xenos muttered.

Taking the weapon, Dakriel smiled. Never before had he even come close to a light saber, and for good reason. Thanks to Willow, they never had to worry about scuffles with force users, but he had read all about them in books. The Jedi and Sith had always been fascinating to him, even if the Sith were terrifying, and he easily switched on the blade. As the bright, violet blade came humming out, Dakriel's face lit up with excitement.

"Whoah," he gasped as he twirled the sword slightly, "COOL!"

"Figures," Xenos chuckled, "no force user can resist the feeling of a light saber in their hands."

"What are you talking about," Willow hissed, "He can't use the force, and he never will."

"Well of course he can't use it," Xenos replied, "He hasn't been trained. You mean you really can't feel-"

He was cut off by an explosion just outside the lot they were in. Immediately, the sound of blaster fire and thermal detonators filled the air. Willow immediately went to check, ordering Dakriel to stay put, and ran out ot the room. Peering around the corner, and band of Imperial troopers were approaching with what looked like a class III portable carbonizer. She ran back, already having been prepared for this, and grabbed a flip-switch detonator off of the table across from Xenos. She pushed the switch, and an explosion went off, killing the troopers and destroying the carbonizer.

"Time to leave," her altered voice echoed through her helmet, "Grab what you can and let's go."

"What about the Jedi," Dakriel replied, "We shouldn't leave him."

"There's no time," she said, kneeling down, "Rule number one for bounty hunters: save yourself first, nothing is more important than staying alive."

With that, they left, and Xenos was stuck in the cage with no weapon. _Perfect, _he thought,_ stuck in a cage by a bounty hunter, only to be captured by my own Empire._ Suddenly, his light saber came rolling into the room from around the corner, followed by the sounds of trooper's voices and foot steps. Using the force, he tried to make his light saber cut through the cage, but the energy field was too strong, and the saber ricocheted across the room, bouncing off the wall. Seconds later, his cage was surrounded by a group of at least a dozen troopers, all with blasters trained on him.

"Huh," the commander, whose left shoulder dawned a red flap of leather, "You, prisoner, where did the bounty hunter go?"

"Around that corner, and streight to hell, just like you and your men will soon," Xenos replied, using the force to enrage the troopers.

"Alright men, take him," the commander shouted, pointing with two fingers at Xenos.

Immediately, they all opened fire, but the blaster bolts bounced off the cage and across the room, taking out at least half of them in seconds. Noticing this, they ceased fire immediately, and were looking around in a dumbfounded fashion. The commander grabbed his head, swaying slightly, and Xenos was now controlling only him. He reached into his mind, finding what drove the trooper to battle, and turned it against him. The commander regained his composure, turned around, and was facing the other troopers silently.

"Uh, sir," one of the troopers said in an altered tone from his helmet, "you okay?"

The commander silently held his hand out, and a flashing thermal detonator was beeping in his hand. Before the troopers had time to react, they all were engulfed in the explosion, and their screams were muffled in seconds. Luckily, the explosion had damaged the power cupplink keeping the cage up, and finally Xenos was freed. He reached out, and retrieved his saber with the force.

"That will be all, commander," he said as he carefully stepped through the pile of burnt trooper limbs and corpses, and made his way towards the tremor in the force.

xxxxxxx

Upon reaching the old, rusted structure where the force's trail had ended, Malik immediately caught the scent of decayed flesh. He stopped, only for a moment, and tried to sense any kind of life. _Nothing,_ he thought to himself, _nothing living at least, so what were you here for?_ Slowly and cautiously, he and Athaliah made their way into the building. Although Malik was now accustomed to the smell of death, Athaliah couldn't bear it, and vomited immediately. Malik waited as she puked from the smell, and then they searched around.

"There's nothing here but a couple of burnt bodies," Malik said as he casually tossed the dead human's belongings around, "so there's only one reason he would have come here."

"Why," Athaliah asked, covering her mouth with her sleeve, "What could possibly be worth this horrid smell, master?"

"These people," Malik said looking down at the corpses, "They're important to our Jedi somehow. They must be related to him, maybe his parents, but we'll never know for sure..."

"Master," her voice shouted in sudden despair, "get them off me!"

Malik wheeled around, and only saw a group of Trandoshans restraining her, and then he blacked out. The only thing his mind had registered was the sting of a dart piercing his neck, and the sight of his apprentice losing consciousness. The dark shroud that fell over his eyes was both slow and painful, as were the lizard-like beings' claws on his limp arms and shoulders.

Malik hadn't noticed the group tracking them, mostly due to the mass amount of people who populated Corellia. The Trandoshans had been hired to take him down by an unkown Sith Lord, and Malik had completely forgotten about the bounty on his head. It mattered very little now, and he passed out.

"Wake up, you filth," a deep, hate-filled voice growled at him, "You hear me? Wake up!"

A massive jolt of force lightning flooded Malik's body, and he immediately was drained of his drowsiness. Looking around, the first thing he noticed was Athaliah directly across the room from him. She was bound by metallic cuplinks, which were holding her in place with her hands above her head, stretched to their full extent and maybe a little more. He growled, and then glared at his captor. Taking note of the Twi'lek's dark red skin and black, sith tattoos, he noticed his captor was very fat and stout for his age.

"I'll bet you're wondering what you're even doing here," the alien jeered, "What I want to know is how you two fools managed to survive this long."

"Release me, and you'll find out first hand," Malik growled back, trying to stall for time until Athaliah awakened.

"Ah yes," the Twi'lek continued, "No doubt you are hoping your...apprentice will help you. I assure you, by the time I'm done with her, there won't be anything left worth having."

"_IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH HER,_" Malik roared.

"You'll watch, uselessly," the alien cut him off, "...and do absolutely nothing."

Athaliah finally managed to awaken, and was already frustrated after what had happened, but least of all, she hated being bound in any way. Though her memory had done well to hide the truth from her, the familiar feeling of bondage was infuriating. Years spent in slavery, no thanks to her enslaved parents, had instilled a subtle hatred inside her that later became her fuel for the dark side. In fact, she had been discovered after setting her previous owner, a fat Devaronian male, ablaze with her thoughts. It was Darth Nortious, also a Devaronian, who had discovered her and brought her straight to the Restored Sith Academy on Korriban.

"Ah yes, finally," the Sith Inquisitor jeered, seeing Athaliah awaken slowly, "So, my sweet, what do they call you?"

"Dunno," she replied with a fierce glare, "They're usually too busy screaming in agony to say much..."

"Very clever," he chuckled slightly, "Much like you'll be doing in a few moments. Take note, Malik, as I instruct you in the ways of properly disciplining apprentices..."

Malik glared angrily, but was helpless, and could only watch in horror as the Twi'lek revealed a metallic box filled with precision tools. An abundance of sharp or laser-powered devices consumed the inside of the foot tall box, and Malik knew what they would be used for. He was afraid, but not for himself. Until now, he'd denied any emotions for his apprentice, knowing it made him weaker, but he couldn't shake them. Without wanting to admit it, he was falling in love with her, and he would die before he let anything happen to her.

_"You fool, do something," _the dark side hissed in his mind, _"Remember the holocron, remember what you can do..."_

Malik gathered what energy he could, letting the dark side swell in him. Both his anger and fear were beginning to swell, and as the dark side encouraged him further and further, he felt his power grow rapidly. The room was beginning to shake, but it wasn't enough. The captor reached over with a red-hot syringe-saw, powered it on, and began to trace down Athaliah's jaw line. As if the sight weren't horrifying enough, her screams of pain immediately filled the small room they were confined to. It was a blood-curdling, wretched scream that made Malik's skin crawl.

His eyes turned a bright red, and the force immediately swelled within his chest. He could almost break his binds, but it still wasn't enough. He was now crying in an insane rage, writhing violently and screaming with an intense growl to his voice. The Twi'lek was enjoying every minute of it, and so much so that he hadn't noticed Malik's slab levitating off the ground. Crimson force lightning began to surge from Malik's body, and the captor finally realised what was happening. He dropped the syringe-saw, and slowly backed away from Malik in sudden fear. Malik glared from the alien, to Athaliah's bleeding, tear covered face, and back to the Twi'lek in an insane rage.

"_HOW DARE YOU,_" Malik growled, breaking the steel of his floating slab without hesitation, "_I WARNED YOU...NOT TO DO THIS...now, you will pay the price..._"

Athaliah was both relieved and terrified of her master, but amidst the chaos and madness that flowed through him, she sensed something else, something she'd never experienced before. It was a warm, passionate emotion, and she sensed his thoughts of her and blushed. If anything, she was flattered and confused, and now questioned why he had even spared her to begin with. Perhaps there was more to being a Sith than fear and hatred...maybe, just maybe...

"P-p-please," the alien begged in terror, "I didn't mean for this, I swear it won't happen again."

"_I know it won't,_" Malik hissed, levitating the medical tools as the Inquisitor stumbled across the small room, knocking things to the floor carelessly, "_now hold still, this is only going to hurt once..._"

In seconds, Malik lifted the Twi'lek into the air, fired the tools into his torso simultaneously, then purged his body with a devastating burst of crimson lightning until he went limp. Retrieving his two sabers from the dead alien's corpse, Malik immediately freed and caught Athaliah as she weakly fell off the second slab. As she tried to clean her face off, Malik's slab came crashing down loudly, and crumpled onto the floor. Looking up at him, he noticed the massive slash across her left cheek, and knew that it would become a scar when it healed fully.

"I'm sorry, my apprentice," Malik said softly, with his eyes returning to their normal color, "I wasn't fast enough, I-"

She interrupted him with a long, passionate kiss. Malik was caught off guard, for the first time, but embraced it nonetheless. He could no longer fight his emotions, and instead allowed them to strengthen him. Her love would make a great addition to his emotions, and after all, the Sith still taught passion over empathy. For a few minutes, they held each other close, and as their lips and tongues caressed each other warmly, the dark side of the force swelled in them both.


	8. Ch 7: The Sith Massacre

_**7: The Sith Massacre **_

After the kiss, Malik had regained his composure, and was able to focus on the task at hand. He wasn't exactly sure where they were, but they had been brought here, and that meant there was a ship somewhere nearby. The large, bright, white room they were in was obviously a medical lab, but as they made their way through a series of winding hallways and corridors, Malik realised he had no clue where they were. Finally, they found an exit, which conveniently led to a docked ship just outside.

The small landing platform wasn't very far away, but a thick, massive rainstorm, that seemed as though it would never end, was blanketing the entirety of not only the facility, but the planet itself. _Kamino, _Malik thought to himself, shielding his eyes from the powerful gusts of wind, _figures this is where we've wound up._ Without thought or hesitation, Malik and Athaliah boarded the docked Sith fighter, and he set a course back to Corellia.

"Master," Athaliah began, "Why Corellia, again?"

"I want my ship back," Malik replied without missing a beat, and the fighter roared into the void of space.

xxxxxxx

Darth Syntarus hadn't taken long in arriving at the Sith Academy on Coruscant, and without realising his true purpose, the Supervisor had invited him inside with open arms. Lantu'uk, the Twi'lek supervisor, was middle aged, and had a bright green skin tone. The only markings that were visible were his dark green stripes, which curved around his jaw and down his head tails. The Darth recognized his old supervisor anywhere, and yet he was still astonished at how tall and broad the master was, especially for his species.

Upon entering the academy, Syntarus' fellow students didn't even recognize him. He sensed their fear, and cringed slightly. It was here that he had completed his Sith trials, and even managed to become an apprentice. Unlike now, however, he never before had the courage to use his power. It had been a combination of luck and circumstance that made his rage take over, and once it did, he became unstoppable. Things were different now, though, and now he had a new master, who had new plans.

"Students, this is a proud day," the Twi'lek began, "This is a proud day for us, for our own student has succeeded where others failed. I give you Samuel, the ascended acolyte of the Coruscant Academy, and now our undisputed Dark Lord of the Sith!"

In an uproar, every student cheered loudly, but Darth Syntarus felt his rage grow at hearing his old name. Slowly, he approached, placed his hand openly on the supervisor's shoulder, and breathed heavily. The Twi'lek looked up at him with a smile, but suddenly felt fear course through his chest. The sight of the unmoving Sith next to him suddenly became unsettling, and even the students grew silent, feeling the intensity.

"Samuel is no more," he said calmly, feeling the dark side swell within him, "My name is Darth Syntarus. Fear me, for I am death incarnate."

Before any could react, all five of his fingers expelled razor-sharp blades, and pierced the supervisor's neck, settling only until he swiftly ripped them through Lantu'uk's neck. Blood quickly spurted out of the alien's neck, but the Sith wasn't done with him yet. In a violent rage, he carefully and viciously slashed at the alien's face and chest, being careful to avoid major veins and arteries. As he did so, the supervisor screamed in agonizing pain, with blood covering almost every part of his head and torso. Finally, the flashing holo-screen inside Syntarus' helmet registered that the Twi'lek would not survive for long, and Syntarus merely stared down at the squirming, writhing Twi'lek as he bled out uselessly.

"Why," the supervisor gurgled, spitting out a massive gulch of blood, "tell me, you son of a bitch, why?"

"It's actually quite simple," Darth Syntarus replied in his mechanical voice, kneeling, "My master commands me, I must do his bidding."

"Kill me, then," the supervisor replied, "Be done with it, if you have the stomach for it."

"All in due time," the Darth replied, "First, you will watch as I destroy your precious students along with this entire wretched academy."

"But why," the supervisor gasped, "When the Sith have finally become so strong?"

"Your blindness is your weakness," the Darth replied, "The Sith are weaker with all these pathetic excuses for warriors, some of which can't even lift a boulder without a nose bleed."

xxxxxxx

Willow had ran with Dakriel to a local cantina to hide out, but hadn't guessed there would be traitors among the crowd. Upon first glance, it had looked as it always did: filled with bandits, out-laws, and other bounty hunters, but had she not been distracted by the large group of troopers that were sure to be hot on their trail, she might have noticed the two Kubaz spies watching and waiting for her. They were at the bar, quietly observing her as she took the boy, hid him in a storage tank, and rigged every door to explode upon opening. Her custom, motion sensitive detonators were excellent for a quick trap, and she would need all the firepower she had to hold the Imperials off.

Noticing the Kubaz as they walked right past the her, and into the back behind the bar, she cursed out loud. She was never this clumsy, and was growing frustrated at letting her panic distract her. As the first group of Imperials were devastated by one of the rigged doors, she calmly tried to think clearly. There was no way out, and she had no choice but to fight. Which weapon would suit her best? She could use her rifle, but it was big and bulky, which made it hard to turn on a dime, and she didn't have room for error.

The second explosion was set off, killing yet another group of twenty or so Imperials. She was beginning to feel a bit rushed now, but tried to stay calm and collected. Her blaster was the only option, and luckily she had changed out the laser cartridge before this all had happened. It was small, but packed a big enough punch. One shot for each Imperial, and she may just have a chance, after all, their armor was like paper compared to her blasters. If nothing else, it would severely dwindle their numbers, and a thermal detonator or two would do the rest for her.

The third, and final, explosion was set off, and she looked at the bar. She hadn't had time to rig the back, and seeing the two Kubaz retreat there assured her that there must have been another entrance. At first, she heard the familiar sound of troopers marching in, but then there was a sound that was still new to her, and fresh in her mind. The sound of a light saber being expelled, and the troopers being cut down one by one filled the air, and sure enough the frightened Kubaz spies came running back into the cantina's main lobby. Without hesitating, Willow whipped out both her blasters, and shot down the spies with one head shot each, then holstered her blasters skillfully with a twirl.

Xenos calmly came walking into the cantina, noticing the dead spies, and smirked. As he carefully stepped over their corpses, he tossed a blaster in front of the storage tank, where he sensed Dakriel was at. He then slowly approached Willow, and now had a stern look on his face.

"Although I usually don't allow myself to be held captive without revenge," he said trying his best to stay calm, "I think we have a mutual benefit under the circumstances."

"Agreed," Willow replied without betraying a hint of disdain, "Besides, I'm all out of the good stuff, I could use a Jedi's help."

She waved for Dakriel, who took the blaster without hesitating, and they left the cantina immediately. Luckily, they weren't far from the spaceport, but a small group of Imperials were surrounding Willow's ship. Ducking behind a stack of metal crates, both Xenos and Willow were thinking of what to do.

"Ok, I've got it," Xenos began, but was cut off by Willow.

"No," she interjected, "I'm making the plan, I don't trust you yet. You'll cover me with your saber, and I'll gun down the troopers. Dakriel doesn't move from in-between us, got it?"

"Fine," Xenos replied in a somewhat annoyed tone, "Ready when you are."

Simultaneously, they weaved in and out of range of the troopers, and Xenos was surprised at how fast the bounty hunter was capable of moving. As he deflected various blaster bolts, which ricocheted to the ground, and some even back at their shooters, Willow quickly gunned down the troopers with ease. In moments, all the Imperials were dead, and the ship was once again cleared. Making their way inside, it wasn't long before they fired up the engines, and took off into the stars.

xxxxxxx

The students all drew their light sabers, expecting Darth Syntarus to attack them, but he merely stood and stared at them from the dark holes where his eyes hid. Although he could easily kill them all in an epic duel, he didn't have the time to waste. Instead, he began to gather his energy into a violent swell of darkness inside him. The students weren't sure what was happening, but they knew it wasn't good for them. They began to murmur and whisper, and a couple of students began to argue.

_Noise, _Darth Syntarus thought to himself in resentment, _that's all these fools are capable of: noise. _Finally, his energy peaked, and he focussed it on the ceiling of the academy. The entire building began to shake, and finally, a few older students rushed at him. In a panicked roar of terror, the students began to flee as the roof came crashing down. His attack already in progress, he drew his saber to the three students who rushed at him.

Their sabers clashed violently as the three students attempted to kill the Darth, but he was in a league surpassing theirs. Weaving and deflecting their attacks, he merely toyed with them, testing out their strength and skill, memorizing their techniques. As he learned on the spot, growing more skilled and downloading the information into his half-mechanical brain, he allowed it to continue only as long as he needed it skills were insignificant to his, and he knew this. In fact, he had dueled all three of them, and only one had previously bested him in a training session, which he had luckily survived with only a scar.

As two of them tried their final assault, a simultaneous strike from both sides, Syntarus merely weaved, and in two swift strokes, severed their arms. They went down easily, after being impaled one after the other, but the remaining, human male had improved much since Syntarus had been gone. He fought with a swift, smooth style, but it wasn't anything the Darth hadn't seen from him before. If anything, only his speed and dexterity had improved, and it wasn't enough. Backing away strategically, to avoid being crushed by the massive chunks that were raining down on the other students, Syntarus finally had his opportunity.

He rushed forward, distracting the student with a large chunk of stone ceiling which he flung at the acolyte as it fell from above, then leapt over him without being noticed. Before the student had time to react, Syntarus' saber had bisected him entirely. As the student's body flopped to the ground in a lifeless thud, the ceiling had entirely collapsed, killing all the gathered students. Darth Syntarus felt neither life, nor his own emotions, and as he approached his ship, he tried to decide which academy he would hit next. With only two remaining, his choices were quite simple, and he was ready for more knowledge that would make him stronger and better.

xxxxxxx

It didn't take Malik long to arrive back at Corellia, and find his docked ship. Within an hour of arriving, he had reclaimed his fighter, and returned to his star destroyer. Immediately after he entered the command deck, the commander and three captains stood at attention. He waved his hand for them to be at ease, and angrily tried to collect his thoughts. Outraged at the Sith Inquisitor who had taken him and his apprentice hostage, his first thoughts were of revenge. Killing the fool wasn't enough, and he couldn't risk anyone getting the idea that holding a Sith as a prisoner was possible.

After the last century of ruling this galaxy, he wasn't about to let it be destroyed by one fool with a bad idea. The commander approached, but said nothing, awaiting orders from Malik patiently. Malik found that he was satisfied with this, and for once, an Imperial had, in his opinion, at least done something right. His emotions spiralled between rage and impatience, but he did well to stay as calm as possible.

"Set a course for Kamino," Malik finally said in a deep growl, "I have unfinished business to take care of there."

"Right away, milord," the Commander replied, and turned around, directing the flight crew, "You heard him men, we're bound for Kamino, get to it!"

"Master," Athaliah softly said, approaching him, "Why are we going to Kamino? I thought we would search for the Jedi..."

"Trust me," Malik responded, somewhat aggressively, "That Jedi won't be able to hide for long, but I will not forgive what was done on Kamino. The entire facility will be destroyed for that Sith's error."

The entire crew suddenly became more silent, and Athaliah smiled slightly. _Finally,_ she eagerly thought to herself, _I'll be able to slaughter some people just for fun. _As her dark thoughts swelled at the images of killing all the inhabitants of the Kamino facility, her happiness and excitement grew as well, then the star destroyer blasted off into hyperspace.


	9. Ch 8: Unleashed

_**8: Unleashed**_

Malik's super star destroyer arrived back at Kamino within the hour. His rage hadn't ceased seething, and all he could think of was revenge. Responding to the immediate threat, a few rogue fighters approached his ship and beckoned via the holo terminal.

"Class V-IV Destroyer, the codes you submitted are out of date, and you are ordered to turn back. We are ordered to excercise lethal force should you refuse."

"This is Lord Malik of the Sith Star Destroyer S-V-IV Slicer. Your commanding officer is misinformed and hereby ordered to grant us access."

"Oh," the voice replied followed by an awkward silence, "You are cleared for dock, we'll fly you in."

The fighters veered off and the massive star destroyer docked on a new addition to Kamino's facility. It was built during the rise of the New Sith Empire, and made specifically for destroyer class star fighters. Malik had previously thought of obliterating the entire facility, but that would be a waste of precious resources. Instead, he planned to use this as a training session for his apprentice, Athaliah. The Inquisitor, while powerful, would be sufficient for her to practice on.

"Master," she said as she approached him from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder, "What should we do about this fiend on Kamino?"

"We shall do nothing," he said taking her hand and looking at it in thought, "Prove your worth to me, and bring me the inquisitor's head. If anyone stands in your way, kill them as well. We don't have the luxury of time, unfortunately."

"Yes, master," she said with a nod, "I'll do more than prove my worth, I'll make you enjoy it."

As she strode off, Malik smirked slightly, then walked over to the commander. After a brief moment, the commander nodded, and ordered two pilots to take to the skies and monitor all frequencies. Malik was planning to draw the Jedi out, and death was only one of many things needed to gain his attention.

xxxxxxx

Darth Syntarus had sensed a tremor in the force, but nothing that concerned him. The time that Malik had spent in anger had sent out multiple shock waves that only force sensitives would detect. Naturally, he sensed rage, and ignored it. He only needed to grow stronger, but there was something else. His programming had acted strange, and although he only had one directive, there was an intense rage building within him. However, when he tried to focus on it, he would mysteriously black out and forget.

As he tried to understand this strange anomaly, his fighter roared into the orbital field of Hoth. It was here that the Sith Academy of the Distant Outer Rim resided. Built over an old rebel base from some long forgotten war, and the residing academy was a proud structure of towers and flight decks. Darth Syntarus sighed heavily, only imagining how harsh the survival training must be here. Just as he began to land, he was caught by surprise as a squadron of fighters attacked him on sight.

Swerving the ship to the right, he was too late to avoid the blaster fire, and one of his fuel cells was blasted clean off. The fighters roared past him, and as his fighter began to spin out of control, he had no choice but to eject into the harsh cold of Hoth's frozen surface. In a dizzying blur, he slammed into the frozen surface with a hard thud. The force protected him from the explosion of his fighter, but he had little time to avoid the fighters that were still roaring past him with intense blaster fire.

The Darth didn't have time to mourn his destroyed ship, and dashed forward into the blistering cold, snow filled winds that swept around him. Were it not for his helmet's visual enhancers, which allowed for a multitude of different vision modes, he would be lost in the thickened ice. Luckily, he was equipped with heat vision, among many of the helmet's strategic upgrades, and was still making good time in arriving to the Hoth Academy.

However, the squadron was still in pursuit, and they weren't about to let him escape. Save for the snow, he was surrounded by nothing, and had no cover to duck behind. The only thing that had kept him from being blasted to scraps was the cover the blizzard was giving him. Closer and closer he ran, closer to shelter, and as his arms and head began to freeze, he finally found a giant, steel wall. His saber made short work, and just as he dove through the half-assed hole he'd cut through it, blaster fire launched him into the building.

"Lost 'em," he mumbled mechanically as he took note of his surroundings.

He was in what looked like some long hallway, and the walls were lined with nothing but some dim lights, and the skulls of creatures native to the planet. As he walked on, he noticed holo paintings of what seemed to be older masters of the academy, and even some that he recognized from his studies in his past life as a student.

He took his first right into an open area which revealed two elevators and a massive staircase. It must have taken him longer than he thought to arrive, as he was now realising that the students must be asleep already. His first thought was to take the elevators, but something in what was left of his instincts told him to avoid them.

He sensed a great deal of dark force energy around them, and a trap seemed to be revealing itself. After a few minutes, he'd made his way up the large flight of stairs to the second story of whichever tower he now found himself in. Stopping halfway up the second flight of stairs, he felt a slight tremor in the force close by. Just as soon as he'd felt it, it stopped and vanished.

He knew he wasn't alone, but for now his best option was to pretend he hadn't noticed it. He kept walking, and as soon as he reached the top of the second flight of stairs, a light saber whizzed directly in front of his face, and he finally saw the first of the students. It was a Neimoidian female who had a somewhat crazed look in her glowing red eyes, and she lashed out multiple times, missing Syntarus barely. Instead, she was striking the walls, and he noticed that her rage and fear were guiding her blindly.

Normally, this violent display may have served her well, but to the Darth, it was foolish and fatal. Her strength was exhausted after the few psychotic flourishes, and she barely had the strength to move. Slowly, he walked towards her, saber drawn, and breathed heavily. She would be the first of many victims to fall this night, and he would not stop until they were all dead. As he impaled her chest silently in the still of the night, his brain finished downloading the information received.

He was surprised to discover that, while reckless and futile, her damage percentage had increased dramatically. Her swings alone would've been enough to cripple even the largest warrior in one slice, or sever a star fighter in half. Still, it wasn't worth the energy needed to perform...unless your body was half mechanical. Syntarus smirked in his metallic void of a helmet, and turned left into the first corridor he saw. It would be here where the students slept, unaware that death was just around the corner, waiting to take them silently.

xxxxxxx

Escaping the spaceport of the Smuggler's Moon was no easy feat, but luckily for Willow, Xenos, and Dakriel, her ship was faster than any regular starship or fighters. The only thing she was truly concerned about was the Sith blockade preventing their escape. Xenos knew this was protocol for high priority targets, such as an infamous bounty hunter. Between them was a massive asteroid field that had once been a meteorite, destroyed by the planet's defenses, some few years ago.

Xenos felt the force flowing through him, and that's when ideas began to fill his head. He looked over at Willow, who was already thinking of a daring escape. She knew it was probably suicide, but sitting around and waiting wasn't going to be healthy either. Xenos thought harder and harder, and what he did next seemed impossible.

He sat still, extremely so, and began to meditate. The force filled his breast first, then moved down to his abdomen, then back up and filled his head and hands. It cycled this way for a few minutes, until they slowly arrived just between two massive asteroids. He guided the ship, without meaning to, and docked it on the largest one he felt. As for the rest of the massive, orbiting, titanic boulders, they began to swirl around them in a defensive way. One by one, fighters hurled out from the Sith Star Destroyers, firing wildly into the asteroid field.

Xenos stretched out, and could feel them moving through space. In his mind, he saw nothing but darting blips of energy, flying rapidly in all directions, most likely trying to break through the asteroids to where they waited, hidden. One by one, he guided the asteroids into them, and one by one, the blips disappeared.

Watching in both amazement and disbelief, Willow saw the fighters roar into fiery explosions, smashing into the asteroids uncontrollably, and could almost hear the painful screams of the pilots who were surely dying one by one. What still worried her was the horde of Star Destroyers waiting just beyond the asteroid field. That's when Xenos truly displayed his strength.

As the engines roared into life, the asteroid field seemed to travel with them. The Star Destroyers opened fire, destroying the smaller asteroids with heavy blaster fire, but the larger ones took the bolts like a massive, rock shield. Suddenly, the ship darted towards them, weaving in and out of the fire, and the massive asteroids that still remained smashed into the Star Destroyers with massive explosions.

What neither they, nor Xenos and the others expected, were the massive space slugs that had been disturbed by the chaos and fissures of fiery death that was raining down on their homes. Willow watched, as the ship flew by the destruction, while the massive beasts roared out of the asteroids, and began to tear through the Star Destroyers like they were merely another meal. Debris and bodies were now flying in all directions, and as the blockade was decimated slowly and painfully, Willow took them into hyper space.

"Well that was close," she said sarcastically as Xenos awoke from his meditative state, "You alright, wizard?"

"For the last and only time," Xenos said in a somewhat dazed tone "I'm not a wizard; I'm a Jedi."

"Well whatever you are," she replied, "Thank you..."

She looked over at Dakriel who, despite himself, had fallen asleep through the entire ordeal. Willow's face grew with a slightly loving look, but it quickly vanished as she saw Xenos staring at her. He, however, had suddenly gained a very worried look.

"Where exactly did you set the coördinates," he asked in a stern tone.

"Hoth," she replied, "It was the first place that came to mind, and I thought-"

"YOU FOOL," he shouted, "Anywhere but there! That's one of the planets holding a Sith Academy, more specifically _my _Sith Academy. Do you realise how dangerous that planet is right now?"

"Hey don't yell at me, we're lucky to be going anywhere," she hissed defensively.

"You're damned right I'm gonna yell," he retorted, "Not only is it dangerous, but there happens to be an unusually high focus of dark force energy, and more tremors than I'd care to admit."

"Oh so suddenly the brave Jedi is afraid," she yelled back, "Is that it? You felt a _shift in the force _and your balls fell off?"

"Fuck you," he replied in anger, then stormed off to the back of the ship.

"I," she replied suddenly but then grew silent, looking down at Dakriel, "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"No, I'm sorry," he replied with a sigh, "I shouldn't have yelled like that. I'm afraid, but not for myself," he said walking to face her, "I'm afraid for the both of you..."

xxxxxxx

It hadn't taken Athaliah long to find a suitable entrance, and as she made her way silently down the winding corridors of the Cloning Facility, she tried to sense for where the Inquisitor had held her and Malik. In mere minutes, she found the decimated room, and while the Inquisitor's body had been removed, the destruction of the ruined slabs remained. Athaliah cringed, remembering the pain that was endured here, but then reached out with the force.

As she swam in her own memories, she saw Malik once again maiming the Inquisitor with his own tools, and then the flash of red lightning filled her mind. _How, _she thought to herself, _how could someone survive such an onslaught?_ She walked around, but there were no clues as to where he'd gone. She would search the entire facility if she had to but-

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hissing and footsteps, and she sensed a familiar presence nearby. As she whirled around, drawing her saber as she did so, a massive Trandoshan came sprinting into the room after her. He was equipped with heavy armor, and a vibro staff that was heavily amplified by a reactor on his wrist. Weaving and dodging, she bounced in all directions, searching for a weakness. However, he was very powerful, and well trained to boot.

_I don't care how good he is, _she thought, _he can't dodge this. _Flipping over him, and landing in the door way, she fired a burst of dark force energy that sent the lizard-like beast into the air. He came crashing down and was impaled by a shattered piece of what once was Malik's slab. It had hit its mark with a kind of precision, piercing his heart. Slowly, she walked over, kneeled down, and placed her hand on his forehead.

The dark side swelled within her chest and down her arm, and she slowly and painfully probed his mind for answers. _The Inquisitor, _she thought forcefully, _where is he..._


	10. Ch 9: Hoth

_**9: Hoth**_

Syntarus sat quietly, surrounded by the mangled corpses of the students. He had killed half of them easily, but before long the others had felt the tremor in the force. It mattered little, and as one by one they fell to him, he downloaded their unique fighting styles and tactics. Discarding the information that was useless to him, but keeping moves that suited him well, he was growing smarter..better. Before long, the masters had sensed the disturbance, and the first of them entered the dorms in a rage.

He was so enraged that, in his anger, he'd carelessly failed to try and sense his students' killer. Within seconds, Darth Syntarus cut him down, without so much as a fight. The old, white human's head rolled out of the dorm, and into the dim lit hallway. Three other masters were rushing upstairs, and upon seeing the head, all three drew their sabers.

Syntarus drew his own saber, and awaited their arrival at the top. He could feel their strength, and he was quite ready for a more challenging endeavor. The first master waved for the other two to wait. He was challenging Syntarus alone, which was obviously foolish, but Sith Masters weren't known for their team work.

"So," the Sith said with a scowl, "You think you can just break in here, kill our students and live?"

"Well," Syntarus replied with a laugh, "Yes, yes I do..."

The master became enraged at the Darth's lack of empathy or restraint, and blindly rushed at him. His fighting style revealed that he was a very capable Sith, yet just as all the others, Syntarus found that he was lacking in the nature of the true Dark Side, and carefully studied the master's movements.

The master was growing somewhat tired, both from fighting, and his previous day. Not to mention his lack of sleep, now that he was awake, and in the middle of the night no less. All were weaknesses that Syntarus didn't have, and being half mechanical helped him keep a more sustained stamina while he seamlessly moved.

In a mere few minutes, he had forced the masters back down the stairs, and Syntarus was careful to make as much noise as possible. Sure enough, the remaining students awoke, hearing the noise, and rushed downstairs to see the two warriors fighting violently. Both shot out force lightning, clashing and ricochetting to and fro, as well as slicing into the walls and surrounding objects with their sabers.

As Syntarus' visor indicated that all data had been stored, he delivered the killing blow. The movement was so fast, that neither the students, nor the masters could comprehend what had happened right away. For a moment, there was a heavy silence, embraced only by the hum of a light saber, and then the master fell. Smoke was rising from his chest like a taunting ghost of what once was the human's soul.

The other two masters, both human as well, drew their sabers. One had a staff light saber, while the other revealed dual sabers. Both alone would be challenge enough, but Syntarus couldn't help but feel the mortal danger looming over him. They lunged, locking sabers with Syntarus, and began to duel.

Clashing violently, the students watched with a mixture of fear and excitement, but this was short lived. As Syntarus weaved in and out of their range, trying to strike into an opening, the remains of a Sith Snow Fighter crashed through the tower, crushing a groups of students under its weight, and knocking the others down and over the stairs in a fiery explosion of metal.

The masters were caught off guard, and Syntarus was the first to recover. Being half mechanical, among many things, had given his reflexes an upgrade, and as such, he recovered from basic shock much faster than normal. He targeted the larger threat, the blonde woman who was weilding the staff light saber. In two strokes, he cut off the master's arms, and then decapitated her.

The other master whirled and blocked Syntarus' next strike, which most likely would have hit his neck as well. Their sabers were locked, and although they were evenly matched, the Darth could sense what the master was blind to. The second fighter of the squadron would soon crash into them much the same way the other had. He freed himself from the saber lock, and in a wide backflip, kicked the master's jaw hard enough to knock him back a few feet.

Before the Sith landed, the master was crushed as the fighter, sure enough, came smashing through the ceiling of the tower. The rest of the students were caught in the blaze, with some still alive. Syntarus' ears were filled with their screams of panic and agony as they burned, but he felt nothing for them. Using the force, he ended them by speeding up the fighter's remaining explosion, electrocuting its fuel cells. A massive mushroom shaped flame rose up out of the tower, causing it to collapse, and although he didn't want to, Syntarus needed to get out of the academy quickly.

Dashing through the mess hall, another fighter came crashing in, and this time nearly hit him. As he ran, it roared behind him, and he swore it was almost following him. The debris and smoke were beginning to spread, and eventually, the entire structure would be in flames. Finally reaching the end of the mess hall, he came to the massive blast door, sealed shut, and half way frozen. _Dammit, _he cursed in his mind, _I don't have time for this..._

Gathering the force, he blasted the door wide open with a powerful push, and jumped through. Just as his feet cleared the hole, the fighter smashed into it, and exploded wildly with a gust of flames. He hadn't noticed until just now that the reason this door had been locked was to prevent anyone going that way, and he was now in free fall. The cold winds of Hoth whipped past his face violently, and as he struggled to find a way to catch himself, the ground hurtled ever closer towards him.

xxxxxxx

Athaliah stood gazing over the Trandoshan's corpse, and had a slightly disappointed scowl on her face. All she had managed to pry from his animalistic mind were the words _Hangar 32._ This, she knew, was the place where the Trandoshan had last encountered the Inquisitor, but for how long he would remain was a mystery. She gently touched the scar on her cheek, letting her rage build slightly, then made her way out of the large room.

She had seen a mass of hangars spread across multiple levels of the facility, but one thing she'd recalled was the number of her own hangar: Dock 29. Without even realising it, she must have been only a few meters away from her target when she arrived. _So that's how he knew,_ she thought to herself. It was now obvious that this was turning into a game of cat and mouse. The Inquisitor must have saw them land, and sent out a hunting party to track down whover had landed. Remembering the pack of Trandoshans who had captured her and Malik before, she knew there would be others.

Not to her surprise, she was cut off by yet another Trandoshan upon reentering the facility. He was a bit taller than her previous attacker, and much more muscular. A scar on his right eye had rendered it useless, but made him appear that much more menacing. Stepping back strategically, she drew her light saber and held it in front of her defensively.

"Young meat is not designated target," he growled in his native tongue, "but nonetheless, Kreetol will accept the small one's challenge. Scorekeeper will surely grant points for tiny one's defeat."

"I hate to break it to you, but your Scorekeeper doesn't exist," Athaliah replied with a smirk, "As you will soon discover for yourself."

Kreetol rushed forward, wielding a pair of baton-like electro sticks. Surprisingly, they clashed with Athaliah's saber and didn't fry as most weapons usually did. To match her surprise at his weapon's endurance, he was equally strong. She could see by the way he moved and dueled that she was not the first Sith he had faced. Leaping back, through the doors that led back to her docking bay outside, she threw her saber wide to the right. As if expecting it, Kreetol simply deflected it by slamming down hard, breaking the saber entirely to pieces.

_Damn, _she thought to herself, _Malik won't be happy to hear about this._ Feeling slightly more confident, Kreetol walked foorward menacingly, hissing and raising his sticks as if to crush her under his mighty strength. As he did so, she gathered what little force energy she could, and built it in her hands, collecting it into a mass of lightning.

"How sad," the Trandoshan hissed, "Only now does the small one understand the blessings of the Scorekeeper."

"I already told you," she replied in a dark tone, "your Scorekeeper is a LIE!"

As he began to slam his arms down, she fired the dark force lightning into his chest with explosive force. Though it was only a small amount that she was able to gather, the damage was nonetheless extensive, and the hulking Trandoshan was sent flying into the air with a powerful jolt. To any untrained eye, you'd think he was still alive as he hit the ground, but Athaliah could sense otherwise.

The moment he was knocked back, the hunter was dead. Walking calmly as Kreetol's dead body slumped to the ground next to her, she simply put up her hood, and flicked the remains of her saber into the stormy waters below. She had always been strong in the force, even at a young age, and this was her pursuer's downfall. She stepped into the facility, and made her way towards Hangar 32.

xxxxxxx

Malik had spent the majority of his time meditating, and gathering dark force energy. Though the time was not yet near for him and the Jedi to fight, he knew that he needed to be ready for when that time did come. He'd also sensed Athaliah's emotions and power in the nearby facility. Everything else had passed by like a blur, as if some veil had sped up time itself. What troubled him most were the visions he was having.

In his meditation, the force had reached out to him, showing him visions of pain and blurred images of screaming faces. He couldn't quite decipher them yet, but they seemed to strike him deep in his core. A few times, he'd lashed out with bursts of force lightning and even managed to damage the walls of the room he was in. It was an unsettling feeling of doom, but he merely ignored it. Just as he began to fall into a deep meditation once again, the commander interrupted his silence.

"M-milord," the commander began, "Forgive me, but we thought you might want to hear the transmission we've just received from Hoth."

Malik's eyes widened, and he reached out with the force. He saw Syntarus falling through the snow off a cliff, saw the destroyed fighters and the decimated Academy, and then he sensed something else. He couldn't be certain, but he swore that he could briefly feel the Jedi's presence on the planet itself.

"Show me," Malik said in a stern voice, and then followed the Commander to the main deck.

Malik took note of the entire crew working hard, scavenging on every frequency as if to find something out of place. As they made their way towards the main terminal, the Commander seemed unsettled. Finally, he stopped and brought up the holo message they had intercepted.

"We received this just moments ago," the Commander began, "We believe that the cause may be related to a small group of rebels, but we can't be certain."

"Play the message, Commander," Malik demanded.

With a nod, the Commander switched on the terminal, and as it hummed into life, a hologram began to form in the shape of a pilot's head.

"This is Delta Shadow 1," the pilot shouted in a panicked, static covered voice, "We've engaged...rogue ship, but it's...faster than anything...ever seen. Not sure how... can last. If anyone...this message, report...high command."

The message was lost, and the final playback of sound echoed in what seemed to be an explosion. Malik's vision seemed to be accurate, and he stormed off to the hangar, making his way to the ship. The Commander followed him with haste, and as Malik entered his fighter, he glared down at the man trembling with fear.

"When my Apprentice returns, she will be in command while I am gone," Malik began, "I am going to Hoth, and will return when I have finished there. You are not to leave this planet under any circumstances."

The Commander merely nodded and watched as Malik's fighter roared into life, and then went roaring out of the ship's hangar bay. He reached out, sensing that his assassin was in danger, and as he left the Kamino's orbit, blasted off into hyper space.

xxxxxxx

Upon entering Hoth's frozen surface, Willow's ship had been attacked on sight. She took note of how fast their response times were, and realised they must have already been pursuing another ship. She'd had no choice but to knock them out of the sky. Not only was her ship faster, but her high velocity cannons had been upgraded multiple times, and thus her ship was superior in every way. What none of them seemed to notice was Dakriel's reaction to the burning academy.

He'd awoken recently, just in time to strap himself in as they weaved in and out of blaster fire, and was feeling the mass of death inside the academy. Xenos was the first to notice his reaction, and rushed over to help him. Dakriel was now screaming as if in agony, and Xenos flooded his body with light force energy. Xenos could feel it as well, but he was more accustomed to it. As Dakriel hadn't had any training, things like this would constantly affect him this way.

"What's wrong with him," Willow shouted as they dodged the final Sith Fighter's blaster fire.

"He's reacting to the dark force energy of the Academy, we need to land," Xenos shouted over Dakriel's screams.

"Gonna be kind of difficult," Willow replied as they dove down in a spiral.

Without realising it, they whizzed past Darth Syntarus, barely missing him, but the pursuing fighter didn't do as well. Syntarus felt the immense force energy flowing from the Raven's Claw, and took advantage of the Sith fighter roaring after them. He reached out with the force, catching its wing, and used his metallic claws to latch on.

Though the intense speed was almost overwhelming, it beat dying any day. Slowly, he clawed his way towards the cockpit. The pilot was completely oblivious to the monster just outside his window, and as he pursued the rogue ship as best he could, Syntarus smashed a clawed hand into the cockpit, impaling the pilot's shoulder.

"Excuse me," he began, "But would you mind moving over?"

Ripping the pilot through the glass covering and tossing him away with ease, he climbed into the cockpit and strapped himself in. Only Xenos had felt the disturbance, but was too focussed on Dakriel to pay any attention. As both ships roared through the blizzard, Willow focussed on getting further and further away from the academy. Finally, Dakriel was able to calm down, and collapsed from a lack of energy.

"What happened," Willow demanded in a panicked tone, "Is he okay? What's wrong?"

"He's fine," Xenos replied with a pant as he sat down, "but I fear we have much bigger problems."

Syntarus glared, reaching out with the force, and locked on to their ship. There was no doubt that he had indeed sensed a Jedi, and should he let them escape, Malik would have his head. The fighters roared through the ice filled winds of Hoth's frozen surface, and Syntarus locked onto them with extreme difficulty. Just as they rolled to the left in a wide swirl, he followed and took advantage of their opening. He fired twice, and hit a fuel cell dead on.

It hadn't been enough to permanently damage them, but he'd severely crippled the ship, and they would soon have to land. Smirking inside his helmet, he merely followed them until the dark, sleek Raven's Claw was forced to land. He followed suit, and waited. He could sense multiple life forms in the ship, but he was only here for the Jedi.

"Dammit," Willow shouted in a furious roar, "We're grounded until I get that fixed."

"Don't worry," Xenos replied, "If he wanted to fry us he already would have."

"Don't worry? Don't worry," Willow shouted incredulously, "He's fried my fuel cells, not only are we grounded, we're about to run out of heat. If I don't get that fixed, we're dead anyway!"

"Well then you'd better get to it," Xenos said as he opened the ships ramp and made his way outside into the blistering cold.

Syntarus smirked, finally getting a look at the Jedi he'd sensed, and jumped out of the cockpit's gaping hole. With a few flips, he landed perfectly, drawing his saber, and walking towards the Jedi.

"So," he said in a mechanical voice, "After all this time, a Jedi has finally emerged."

"So I take it you're not surprised," Xenos replied, drawing his saber as well, "Guess you knew the Sith could never truly reign forever."

"If there's anything I've learned in my time as a Sith," the Darth retorted, "It's that nothing lasts forever. At least the Sith weren't the first to die out."

With that, Xenos lunged forward, clashing with Syntarus violently. While he did not use his dark emotions, Xenos was still just as powerful as he'd always been. Syntarus could feel this as they dueled, and did well to avoid being sliced in half. His data was constantly reading inconclusive, and he took notice that Xenos constantly fluctuated between defensive and offensive strategies. They both flourished in the snow, with only their sabers being visible to anyone watching, and clashed in the blistering cold.

As Xenos pushed Syntarus back with crushing blows and flourishes, the two warriors deflected and struck out simultaneously. There was something off about this assassin, and Xenos sensed much more than just him holding back. It was faint, but there was a subtle conflict within him. Mistaking this for a conflict of morality, Xenos flipped backwards, and withdrew his saber.

"I can sense your uncertainty," Xenos began, "There is conflict within you."

"You fool," Syntarus growled as he lunged at Xenos violently, "The only conflict is deciding how I wish to kill you!"

Their sabers clashed with high intensity, with Xenos drawing his saber seconds before the impact, and he realised that there was no way he would win. This machine, whoever it once was, had become a hollow shell of hatred and darkness. He could also sense that his moves were being read, and studied, and knew that he would soon be overwhelmed. His only hope was to end the battle here, and now.

"I've done it," Willow shouted from her ship's ramp, "I fixed the fuel cells!"

Xenos felt a slight hint of relief flow through him, and as he and the assassin remained locked, he noticed that they were dangerously close to the Sith fighter Syntarus had hijacked. Without hesitating, Xenos kicked the Darth back hard, and then lifted his fighter above him. Landing hard in the thick snow, Syntarus tried to dodge by dashing towards Xenos, but it was too late. With a massive quake that shook the ground around them, the fighter came crashing down on Syntarus heavily, and knocked the saber from his hand.

Xenos watched for a moment, as the only visible part of the assassin's body, his arm, twitched as if struggling with the massive weight above it, and then went limp. A silence fell over the air for a moment, with the only sound coming from the blizzards of Hoth, and Xenos stared for a moment. _That could've been me,_ he thought sympathetically, _just a shell of anger and power. _Xenos made his way inside the Raven's Claw, deep in thought, and strapped himself in.

"You alright," Willow asked in a calm tone, but Xenos said nothing.

Dakriel seemed to be feeling better, but the three of them barely made a sound. Taking off into the air, the ship dashed into Hoth's orbital field, and then into hyper space. Setting the coördinates, Xenos intended for them to reach Kamino, and they set off.

xxxxxxx

Malik's ship finally came out of hyper space, and descended to the planet's surface below. As he flew past the decimated Hoth Academy, taking note of the damaged structure, and the flames that still burnt fresh in the snowy breeze, he flew for a few killometers past the steep cliff to the south. He was not surprised to sense the mass of lifelessness that had once been the stench of death. His visions had already shown him what was to become of the Hoth Academy, and thus he felt no remorse for the lost lives.

Ahead he saw the wreckage of a Sith fighter in the snow, smoking slightly, and descended. He could barely sense Darth Syntarus's presence under the mass of metal and glass, and using the force, he hurled the ship off of him carefully. As he looked down in anger, he saw that the assassin had lost both his legs, and had one side of his torso ripped open, revealing a cluster of bones and intestines.

He was both concerned and disgusted at the sight of the Darth's mangled body, but nonetheless brought him aboard his ship for repairs. He wasn't done with his assassin just yet, and despite the tremendous pain it would cause, he would revive the Sith Assassin once more. While the medical probes sought to Syntarus' corpse, Malik set his coördinates for Kamino, and took off into the stars. He now had no doubt that the Jedi had been here, and his lust for revenge was growing ever stronger, seething like a rising flame inside of him.

_Good, _the dark side hissed in his mind, _only with our anger can we track down and defeat this Jedi...Only as one can we destroy the light once and for all..._


	11. Ch 10: Rising Tides

_**10: Rising Tides**_

Athaliah made her way quietly down the large, circular structure that made up the majority of Kamino's structure. The hangars weren't very large at first glance, but it seemed that each step she took made the journey on foot that much longer. _Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, _she counted in her head. The reality of the obvious trap waiting settled in, and she almost hesitated entering Hangar 32. She could sense that the Inquisitor was inside, but something just felt wrong.

A moment later the decision was made for her, and the doors were blasted open from the inside. The explosion caught her off gard, and she was knocked back into the far wall with a heavy thud. As she struggled to get up and catch her breath, two hulking Trandoshans stepped forward, blasters in hand, and growled in their native tongue.

"Get up," the first one hissed, "The wise one wishes an audience with you before he gives you to the Scorekeeper."

She slowly stood up, focussing on the one that remained silent, and began to flood his mind with dark force energy. She filled his mind with false images that would seem real to him, showing him images of the Inquisitor killing him in an ultimate betrayal, and the other Trandoshan taking the reward for himself. She fed into his greed like a plague, letting the dark side do the rest.

"_Your ally seeks to betray you,_" she hissed as she stepped forward, hands held up in submission.

"You fiend," the Trandoshan screamed as he struck down the other, lizard-like beast.

Blasting relentlessly, the final Trandoshan fired into his ally's corpse until there was nothing but a smoking carcass remaining. Her mind trick had worked, but now she had only seconds to act upon. As the Trandoshan began to cry out in madness, suddenly snapping out of his confusion and realising what he'd done, Athaliah lunged at him violently. Wasting no time, she pulled the blaster rifle from his arms, catching and firing it in mid-air, and pulled the trigger. With deadly precision, she fired into his skull, killing him instantly, then landed and tossed the rifle away like trash.

"Too easy," she said as she made her way into the hangar, ignoring the thud of the alien's corpse as it fell to the ground limply.

She made her way in silently, but the energy she felt was anything but. The Inquisitor was definitely here, but what she sensed couldn't be right. His presence seemed to linger in everything around her, as if all of his consciousness had taken hold of the entire hangar. Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound echoed through the air in a painful groan, and a massive, eight-armed titan began slowly turning.

She now sensed where the inquisitor was, and as the massive, spider-shaped metallic titan turned to face her, she saw his body entangled in the wires and gears that were injected into his missing limbs. If only she'd had her light saber, she wouldn't hesitate to strike him down immediately, but alas she had arrived unarmed.

"Well well well," The Twi'lek roared in a loud, mechanized voice, "Athaliah, what a surprise. I had no idea that you were so eager to return."

"Master's orders," she replied with a shrug, "He hates it when I forget to take out the trash."

"Very clever indeed," he replied, "but you were dead the moment you set foot in this place. I've turned my body into the largest land weapon anyone has ever seen!"

"It's nothing a little force lightning can't take care of," she retorted with a smirk, "and everything here is metallic. You should've gone with a different material, you're making this too easy."

xxxxxxx

"I just don't understand," Willow demanded as the Raven's Claw took off through hyper space, "Why Kamino? It's one of the Sith Empire's strongholds. That's where the Imperial army is born."

"Exactly," Xenos replied, "Whoever controls Kamino controls the Empire, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," she yelled back with a crazed tone, "and the Sith Empire controls Kamino. So why the hell are we going there?!"

"I've been to Kamino once before," Xenos explained, "It's controlled by one massive computer unit. That's where all the clones get their programming done. They're naturally embedded with directives."

"What's your point," Willow demanded.

"All it would take is for us to rewrite the entire system," he continued, "If we do that, we'll have an entire army under our control!"

After a long pause, Willow's face grew more and more skeptic. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and what she was hearing sounded insane. However, being a wanted criminal, and a fugitive now, she had no choice but to go along with the plan. After all, her only hope of freedom now depended on overthrowing the Sith Empire entirely, and even she could tell that their numbers were dwindling.

About half an hour passed by, and they finally arrived on Kamino. The planet's surface was, as always, being pounded by heavy storms and thick downpours of rain. The facility looked as sleek and impressive as always, and although Xenos, Willow, and Dakriel could all sense the impending danger, they couldn't help but be entranced by its to avoid being spotted, they landed in what appeared to be an abandoned hangar, and docked immediately.

"Okay, so you know where you're going right," Willow asked as her and Dakriel suited up in their armor.

"Yes," Xenos replied, "But I'm going alone. You two need to get somewhere safe, and hide until I return."

"Safe," Willow replied incredulously, "We're on Kamino for fuck's sake, where the hell are we going to hide?"

"Just get somewhere," Xenos said turning to her with a stern look, "Where I'm going is a lot more dangerous than this hangar."

With that, he strode off, light saber in hand, and left the two bounty hunters to themselves. He could sense the strong presence of the dark side, but he nonetheless planned to sabotage the Sith Empire's precious cloning facility. The only hope he had now was a miracle, and he knew it.

"Come on," Willow told Dakriel, "We're rewiring this place. If the Empire wants clones, we'll give 'em clones."

xxxxxxx

Malik's repair droids had done well to reconstruct his assassin's body, but they reported that his mind would be impossible to repair. They informed him that, aside from his basic mechanical programming, he would remain unpredictable until awoken. Malik wasn't concerned by this, and the thought of Syntarus being more deadly almost appealed to him.

"Revive him," Malik demanded in a heartless tone, "We've almost arrived, and I don't want my assassin to be late for the party."

"Yes sir," the droid shouted as they switched on the life support engines. After an hour of intense, electromagnetic pulses that were streamed into his body by large tubes, Syntarus finally roared into life once more. As his screams of agony echoed through the ship, Malik only cringed as his ears were mauled by the horrid sound. Walking over, he looked down at his work with a slight sense of pride.

"I-I was dead," Syntarus said in an even more mechanical tone, "The Jedi...he escaped. Forgive me master."

"There there," Malik said calmly, placing his hand on the assassin's shoulder, "We're on our way now to deal with this Jedi. Soon, you will have your revenge."

As the ship finally reached Kamino, and they descended to the planet's watery surface, Syntarus managed to get the hang of using his robotic limbs once more. He could feel that most of his insides now consisted of machinery, and wondered whether he had any flesh left at all under his robotic skin. His entire body, save for a select few organs, was now entirely cybernetic. In his mind, along with the dark, empty echoes of what used to be his memories, he could feel a madening sensation, and it was growing.

There was something else as well, something in his mind that only he could sense. It was sinister, and wicked. Rage; he could feel an intense rage swelling within him. Seeing Malik only seemed to increase it, though he wasn't sure why, and he soon realised that his memory was irreversibly damaged. There were now dark places where emotions and experiences had once been, and he was in sudden realization that he would never again know them.

The fighter returned to Malik's star destroyer with a loud roar, and they made their way to the command deck immediately after docking in the main hangar bay. Immediately, all the officers aboard the ship saluted, but upon seeing Darth Syntarus, were flooded with intense fear. Never before had anyone seen such a monstrous being, not for a long time at least, and as he walked angrily alongside his master, breathing heavily through his helmet, they began to shake. As he strode by them, sensing their pathetic fear of him, he snarled in disgust, although his helmet concealed this entirely.

"Commander," Malik demanded, "Why hasn't Athaliah returned?"

"Milord," the Commander sputtered, "We have recieved no transmissions from your apprentice, but our scanners indicate that she has been in Hangar Bay 32 of the southern facility for some time."

"Did you not think it wise to send a squad of troops to check on her," Malik roared angrily as he glared into the Commander's fear-tarnished face, "What if she encountered insurgency and is in danger? She could be dead or captured, and you would be to blame!"

"F-forgive me," the Commander began but was silenced as Malik began to strangle him with the force, "P-please, Lord Malik...please..."

"Do not fail me again, Commander," Malik growled as he released the Commander, then turned to face Darth Syntarus, "Now, my friend, go to Hangar 32, seek out my apprentice, and see that she safely returns to me. Kill anyone who dares stand in your way."

"It will be done," Syntarus replied with a bow, and began to leave.

"Syntarus," Malik continued, "Do not fail me again..."

The assassin nodded, thinking for a moment, and then strode off silently. _You know this is not your destiny, _a hissing voice echoed, _Malik will betray you, as all Sith do. Open your eyes, young one, see the truth._

"What am I to do," Syntarus replied out loud, making his way out of the docking bay and into Kamino's main facility, "My master commands me, I must obey..."

_Must you, _the voice asked rhetorically, _I have seen your power, and I know your true destiny. Kill the apprentice, and then replace her at his side. Only then can you grow strong enough to destroy him...only then will you be free..._

xxxxxxx

Xenos, while sensing the immense dark force energy, had quickly made his way through the facility easily. As he tried to remember his way through the seemingly endless walkways of Kamino's facility, he finally came to what appeared to be the command center. Making his way inside the massive, humming room, he found himself surrounded by not one, but multiple super computers. He was almost overwhelmed, and suddenly found himself breathing deeply, trying to calm himself.

"Okay," he mumbled, "As long as I'm careful, I won't trip any alarms. This is easier than it seems..."

Looking around, he noticed at least four terminals, all connected to one power grid. A cluster system to counteract any would-be hackers. Luckily, he'd been trained to use the systems, by circumstance, and taught himself how to get into the system easily and undetected. Although no one was aware of his presence, he knew that time was short, and he began working fast.

Willow and Dakriel had carefully made their way to the cloning cryo-chambers, and began to search for the main computer that Xenos had spoken of. Dakriel felt the dark force energy coming from Athaliah and now from Syntarus, and began to grow nervous. Willow was oblivious to this, and remained focussed on their task.

"Willow," Dakriel muttered, "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"Hush," she scolded, "We'll just be in and out, and besides, you're with me. What could go wrong?"

"But," he began but she merely waved her hand to silence him.

She'd heard something, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. Again, she heard the eerie sound, and now recognized it as clawing. Dakriel heard it as well, and this only made his fear grow even further. Cautiously, they made their way deeper into the vast room, and they were now surrounded by massive tanks filled with clones. They were odd looking, horned sentients, and Willow soon realised that these weren't cloned troopers.

Drawing ever closer towards one of the tanks, she recognized what appeared to be a Zabrak, with red and black skin, but his sensor's indicated that there was no life in his body. Smirking, she chuckled at herself for being afraid in the first place, but a cry broke her confidence entirely.

"Willow," Dakriel screamed from behind her, "Help me!"

xxxxxxx

"Screech," was a sound now familiar to Athaliah's ears as she evaded the massive legs of the Inquisitor's metallic monstrosity.

She had done well enough to avoid being crushed by the powerful legs of the mechanical beast, and without her light saber, she could do little more than dodge. A few times she had gotten close to an opening, but a combination of circumstance and falling crates had prevented her from drawing near. She was in danger, but wasn't ready to back down.

"Come now, child," the Twi'lek teased as he lashed out, "It will only hurt once!"

Again, a massive leg crashed through the hangar, destroying parts of the wall, and knocking over crates which were most likely filled with supplies. Athaliah finally had her chance, and dashed forward. Taking advantage of the recoil required to bring his contraption into balance again, she ran up the outstretched leg, drawing closer to where he was embedded in wires and cogs.

Gathering her energy, she jumped, anticipating the laser fire from a nearby turret, and as she hung upside down in mid-air, she finally had the force she needed. Flipping through the air stylishly, she reached out, firing the lightning gathered in her hands, and landed a direct hit.

To her surprise, the Inquisitor was protected by a ray shield that she hadn't been able to see before. The lightning shot ricocheted off the shield, and bounced into the turret, frying its circuits. She landed on the ground, now dripping with sweat from the exhaustion of such energy, but didn't have time to rest. Again, a massive, metallic leg swooped down, but this time she didn't dodge it.

Catching it, taking the hit to her stomach and losing her breath slightly, she latched on. Her only move now was to overload the machine from a distance. Noticing that the ray shield only covered the alien's body, she knew that there was only one opening: the legs themselves. Allowing her rage to build, she blacked out, consumed by her hatred, and allowing her mind to be swarmed once again with the memory of how she had been nearly tortured and killed by this monster.

"It is useless to resist," the Inquisitor shouted with a dark tone, "I am invincible, and not even your precious force powers are enough to help you!"

Ignoring his pointless words as he thrashed about, trying to shake her off of the massive mechanical leg, she gathered her energy again. _This time, _she thought to herself, _this time it will work! _As her body gave the last of its energy to the force, she surrendered herself to its power. Her eyes opened, but her mind was still blank, and then she surged with power.

The Inquisitor was helpless, and as her entire body glowed with energy, lightning surged not only into the mechanical beast, but throughout the entire hangar. Her eyes were a shroud of blue and purple lightning, along with her entire body, which was blanketed by a surge of pure force energy. The leg was where it had started, but then climbed its way up towards the Twi'lek, breaking through his shields and striking him violently.

Her mind was absent to his agonizing screams of pain, and even as he slowly died from the heavy surge of lightning, she continued for a few seconds more, screaming violently. As the massive, spider-like monstrosity came crashing down with a heavy explosion, she merely leapt off of the metallic leg, and landed near the damaged doorway where she'd entered. Carefully, she sensed to make certain that, this time, he truly was dead, after all, she'd come here for precisely that purpose.


	12. Ch 11: Blind Rage

_**11: Blind Rage**_

_Come now, young one, _a sinister voice echoed, _surely you do not wish to be a pawn forever? By now, you must realise that Malik only sees you as a plaything; something for which he has no real purpose..._

"Shut up,"Darth Syntarus shouted in the vacant hallway, "I know what must be done. I'll kill Athaliah, and then take my rightful place at Malik's side..."

_You are a fool, _the voice hissed in his mind, _and you will die a fools death..._

He'd been walking for over half an hour now, and with the mixture of energy lingering in the air, been unsuccessful in tracking down either of his targets. Making his way into an abandoned hangar, which was labeled Dock 34, he finally felt a flicker of energy. He stopped in place, looking around carefully, and tried to sense it again.

"Looking for someone," Athaliah shouted from atop a tall stack of crates, "Jedi ain't here. I'm looking for 'em as well."

"Fortunately for him," Syntarus replied, drawing his saber, "there will only be one Sith to fight against!"

"I should've killed you when I had the chance," Athaliah retorted, drawing her own saber, "This time, you won't be coming back!"

Leaping down, she infused her saber with force lightning, and struck down hard. Syntarus barely had time to dodge the hit, but was knocked back by the pulse wave that was sent out. He was now aware of her full power, but although his visor H.U.D calculated a one in one hundred chance of his success, he was determined to kill her. Stepping away strategically, he carefully watched her form and technique, and awaited an opening. Athaliah wasn't about to give him the chance, and as she sliced at his legs, forcing him to jump, she rolled up and blasted him back with a powerful push.

Slamming into the far wall, knocking over a smaller stack of crates, he struggled to get back up. His mechanical body was well constructed, but not meant to handle the stress of such powerful attacks. She wasn't letting up, however, and rushed at him in a blur of speed. He barely had time to dodge as her saber impailed the steel wall behind him, and he carefully landed on the platform above her.

"You can't run forever," she growled as she jumped up to face him down, "I was foolish not to end your miserable life."

"Yes," Syntarus replied dryly as he nodded, "Yes you should have, and twice I have risen from near death."

"You know what they say," she jeered with a snarl, "Third time's the charm!"

Lunging in yet another blur, her saber clashed with his, and as sparks struck out in all directions, Syntarus' scanners indicated a useful tool. Just behind him, his helmet had detected a group of drum barrels filled with fuel. Needing only to redirect her saber, he could use the distraction to catch her off guard, and end her easily.

"So," he began to say as he stalled, "You're going to kill me, and tell Malik what? You think he won't have your head for killing his favored assassin?"

"That's where you're wrong," she replied with a smirk, "It was Malik who ordered your execution, but we were kind of hoping you'd kill the Jedi first. Looks like I'll be doing your job for you from now on."

"Impossible," he growled, but his scanners indicated she was telling the truth.

Enraged, he jumped back in a flip, and as her face gasped with shock, her saber struck the barrels directly in the center. What Syntarus had forgotten to take into account was the explosion from the strike, and he was sent flailing onto the ground below by the flames. Athaliah hadn't been so fortunate, and as the fuel ignited and spewed out to her, she'd managed only to jump away in time to avoid being burned.

What she hadn't avoided was the splatter of fuel that sank into her eyes, and caught fire. The barrels exploded, knocking her off the ledge she had kneeled on, and sent her to the ground as well. She could do little more than scream aloud as her eyes burned painfully, searing until darkness settled in entirely, and she was rendered blind. Had she been capable of forming tears, she would've cried from the pain, but along with her sight, that was gone as well. As both she and Syntarus struggled to get back up, she tried not to panic, and gave herself to the force.

xxxxxxx

Willow felt a mixture of confusion, rage, and concern at the sight before her. As Dakriel struggled in the arms of an active clone, she slowly reached for her blasters. At first, she hadn't been certain of what she was looking at, but behind the white eyed Zabrak was a shattered cryo-tube, which he'd obviously sliced his way out of. Looking above the glass, she could barely make out the words _K. Vass,_ followed by an unreadable sequence of numbers.

"Put him down," she snarled, un-holstering her blasters, "or I'll put you down..."

The cloned Sith, incapable of speech, could only hiss and growl as she raised her blasters and aimed for his head. As she did so, the sentient squeezed harder, making Dakriel scream in slight pain, and then she fired. In an instant, Dakriel was released, and the crazed clone collapsed to the floor in a heavy thud.

"Are you alright," she asked Dakriel as he slumped towards her.

"Yeah," he replied, "You know, no scratches or bite marks, but other than that I'm super."

Looking down, she could see just how lifeless this sad creäture appeared. However, neither of them had time to waste, and a spine tingling noise shifted through the air, sending a chill down their backs. Suddenly, as every cryo-tubes were bashed open from the inside, multiple clones began pouring out into the lab, and were swarming in all directions.

Willow grabbed Dakriel's arm, and they ran, trying to reach the door. The sentients were fast, and more ravenous than anything Willow had ever seen before. She'd outrun everything from speeders to Corellian Slice Hounds, and these beings seemed faster than both. To make matters worse, every time they got close to one of the exits, a group of them would swarm, cutting them off. In mere moments, they were cornered in the center of the lab, both armed and outnumbered, and no way out.

"Daks," Willow said in a low tone, "remember that time we went to Tattooine?"

"Yeah," he replied, "and there weren't any zombie clones there."

"We were camped on a ledge," she continued, ignoring his sarcasm, "and a swarm of Womp Rats attacked us. This is no different than that."

"Except that those were Womp Rats," he retorted, "these things are worse..."

Suddenly, a few of the clones roared, and rushed at them in a frenzy. Willow fired her two blasters with extreme precision, while Dakriel managed to get most of his shots as well. One by one, the creatures fell, hissing and growling as they did so, but the bodies began to pile up. If Willow had counted the tubes, she might have noticed that there were over two dozen clones, and would've been more careful with her ammunition.

As both Willow and Dakriel's weapons jammed from empty magazines, they were still outnumbered two to one. Four of the clones had survived the onslaught, and the two bounty hunters were trapped. Their faces grew with an almost human look of joy, and as they drew closer to Willow and her young ward, they began to growl simultaneously.

"When I tell you to," Willow told Dakriel, "you run."

Dakriel nodded, and as the creatures crouched in preparation for their attack, Willow drew her hidden vibro knife. Jumping first, she stabbed the first clone directly in the center of his forehead, while the other three attacked her mercilessly. Dakriel, seizing the moment, dashed past them and escaped through the entrance they'd come through.

xxxxxxx

Xenos had spent the last half an hour trying to hack into the cloning facility's mainframe system, but on top of its notorious difficulty, he was also struggling with the alien language it was encrypted in. He'd learned a multitude of languages in his time as a Sith acolyte, but realised that he had never learned the language of ancient Zabraks. He was now relying on full instinct, and began keying in different codes into the computer. If he couldn't reprogram it, he would sabotage the entire system.

After yet another half hour, he'd finally gotten something that almost made sense. Before his eyes was a yes/no question in the ancient language, but he couldn't be certain what it said. He tried his best to make out the words in front of him, but could only comprehend half of it.

"Either I'm about to select a different language," he mumbled to himself, "or this terminal is about to self destruct."

Pressing a finger on the holographic screen floating above the terminal, he selected the one he was almost certain was "yes." The holographic screen flashed between green and blue for a few seconds, and then an entirely new screen came on. It gave a long list of multiple languages from English to Rodian, and he selected the obvious choice.

"Now we're getting somewhere," he said with a smirk and began hacking the terminals.

xxxxxxx

Darth Syntarus soon realised what had happened, and slowly walked towards Athaliah with a dark grin. As she gently reached for her eyes, realising they were decimated, she felt a surge of rage and despair fall over her. Closer and closer he stepped towards her, light saber in hand, and felt a swell of pride flowing through him. It was almost too perfect, and he revelled in the thought of killing her slowly and painfully. She stood up, calming herself slightly, and began to try and fight off the pain in her skull.

Her head felt as though it would burst at any moment, but knowing it wouldn't was a slight relief. The dark side swelled within her, and she carefully reached out. She could almost see her surroundings, and even felt where the assassin was, even as he stepped closer, careful not to make a sound, she felt his movements. Only one thing remained: her light saber.

"Alas," Syntarus began as he stepped side to side, as if to throw her off, "the young apprentice dies the way she should have months ago, when the dark lord Malik took hold of his destiny..."

"Months which he has spent training me," she replied in a calm, dark tone, "and using you."

"You are blind to the truth," he retorted, "even more so now. Any hope for you has burned away."

"I told you," she replied, finally sensing her light saber a few feet in front of her, "I'm going to kill you. I don't need my eyes to do so..."

Lunging at her, from only a foot away, he lashed out with his saber violently. Sensing his sudden jolt, she flipped back, high up in the air, avoiding the attack entirely. As she came around behind him, pulling her saber to her in mid air, she simply landed, and decapitated the assassin. The movement had been swift and clean, and as the circuits that had once connected his head to the rest of his body fried, his body limply collapsed to the ground while his head rolled away.

"Third time's the charm indeed," she mumbled with a growl as she took his saber from his corpse.

She stood for a moment, taking in her victory, and feeling the dark side swell within her. Although she was now blind, it hadn't hindered her in the least, and her mind quickly travelled to her next objective. Making her way out of the hangar, she tried to sense where the Jedi had gone, leaving the remains of the assassin where they laid. She'd fulfilled the first part of her assignment, and the Jedi was next, along with his friends.

xxxxxxx

Dakriel, along with Xenos and Malik, had felt the death of the assassin echo through the force, as if some strange bolt of energy had suddenly exploded around them. He'd been running in a confused maze of turns and doors, and now found himself lost. In his panic, he hadn't been aware enough to take note of his surroundings, and now found himself in a long hallway, with no doors or rooms.

The presence of the dark side was still here, and he couldn't sense whether or not Willow was still alive. Another hour passed, and he felt as though he'd been walking for much longer than that. Rounding a corner, he finally came across what appeared to be a command center. Entering it, he noticed a mass of computers and terminals, and the room was full of Imperial officers and Troopers.

"Hey," the Commander demanded upon seeing him, "What do you think you're doing in here? Who are you?"

"Uh," Dakriel muttered and then ran back out of the door.

Immediately, a group of Imperial Troopers ran after him, firing aimlessly and barely missing him. He was tired, but that didn't stop him from running as fast as he could back the way he'd come. As the hallway stretched on once again, curving as it did so, he sensed something else ahead of him. Faster he ran, reaching out to the swell of force energy he'd sensed, but suddenly stopped upon seeing who was waiting.

Seeing him stop, the Troopers slowed down, and aimed their weapons at him. Completely unaware of the Sith apprentice above them, hanging on to the frame of the ceiling, they zeroed in. Dakriel looked up at her, noticing her burnt eyes, and the dark holes that they had once been, and then he felt the dark force energy lurking inside her. Just as the Troopers prepared to take him, she leapt down, cutting them all down within seconds, then turned to face Dakriel.

"You're not the Jedi," she said dryly as the boy stood up, "but I can sense the force within you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dakriel began, "I'm just a bounty hunt-"

"Don't lie to me," she snarled as she lifted him by the neck with the force, "Tell me where the Jedi is, and I'll kill you quickly..."

"Ack," he managed to mutter as he struggled for air, squirming helplessly against the force around his neck, "Fuck you..."

Suddenly, she was sent flying back by a powerful push, and Dakriel dropped to the ground, gasping. Xenos had sensed the Sith, and that Dakriel was in danger, and wasted no time in showing up. Athaliah, caught off guard, had hit the window with a heavy thud, and cracked the glass.

"You want me," Xenos said with a scowl, "here I am."

"I don't think you understand," Athaliah growled as she stood up, "I don't want you, my master does."

Firing a bolt of force lightning, she hit Xenos directly in the chest, knocking him back. Dakriel rushed at her, firing from his blaster, but she merely pushed him back into the wall, knocking him out. Catching his breath, Xenos tried to fight off the effect the lightning had left, and stood up cautiously.

"So," he began, "You're not even at the top of the food chain, just a dog sent to do her master's work. Life's a bitch, isn't it?"

"Mind your tongue," she growled, firing yet another bolt of lightning at him.

This time, he drew his saber, and deflected the bolt easily. As he smirked, Athaliah grew angrier, letting her rage fuel her, and drew both her sabers with a snarl. Simultaneously, they both clashed, and sung in rapid flourishes. Xenos had succeeded in pissing Athaliah off, but whether or not that was a good idea or not remained to be seen.

As their light sabers slammed together, the alarms suddenly went off, and footsteps could be heard echoing through the halls. Lifting Xenos with the force, choking and tossing him against the far wall, Athaliah put away her sabers. Confused slightly, Xenos put his away as well, and stood up.

"We'll have to dance some other time," she said with a smirk, "See ya around, Jedi."

With that, she blasted the window open with a force push, shattering it, and leapt out in a dash. Running after her, Xenos watched as she flipped and landed two stories down on a bridge, and calmly made her way towards a docked Sith Fighter. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it, and he put it out of his mind. Behind him, Dakriel slowly regained consciousness, and Xenos walked over to help him up.

"Come on, we've gotta get out of here," Xenos said as he helped Dakriel get up, hoisting him on one shoulder.

"Willow," Dakriel muttered in a dazed confusion, "Have to get...Willow..."

"No time for that," Xenos replied as he collapsed the hallway where he'd run from.

Cautiously, he searched for the exit, using only the force to guide him in the right direction, and came across their docking bay. Suddenly, a squad of troopers spotted them, and he ran with Dakriel as fast as he could to their ship. Blaster fire chased after them in a storm of red and blue, striking the walls and nearby crates as they did so, and Xenos still had a few yards left to clear before reaching the ship.

"Blast 'em, don't let the Jedi escape," a few Troopers shouted to the others as they fired relentlessly.

Just in time, Xenos and Dakriel made it aboard their ship, and as the Troopers swarmed, Xenos fired up the engines, and the ship went roaring out of the docking bay. Dakriel seemed to be recovering more, and suddenly coming back to reality, he began to panic.

"Stop," he yelled as he tried to reach for the controls, "we have to go back, we have to help Willow."

"We can't," Xenos insisted as he pushed Dakriel off of him, "We don't have the time or the man power to save her, we'd just be giving ourselves over to them!"

"Willow would rescue me," Dakriel started, but was cut off by Xenos.

"Willow would want you to leave while you had the chance," Xenos roared, silencing Dakriel, "Not get yourself captured or killed trying to save her. She can handle herself, trust me."

"Typical Jedi," Dakriel mumbled in slight anger.

Making their way out of the facility, and heading towards space, a violent series of blasts rumbled their ship temporarily. Watching in horror, Dakriel saw the entire facility go up in flames. One after another, the large, round structures exploded in a fiery blaze, sending up mushroom shaped flames that evaporated in the pouring rain. After the series of explosions, the structure began to sink, and as Dakriel watched helplessly from the Raven's Claw, he could do little more than cringe in sorrow as their ship left the planet's atmosphere. Setting their coördinates for the neutral planet, Belsavis, the Raven's Claw left Kamino, and blasted off into the stars.


	13. Ch 12: Arise, Darth Mira

_**12: Arise, Darth Mira**_

"M-milord," the Commander of Malik's star destroyer sputtered in horrible disbelief, "You...you've killed them all."

"A necessary sacrifice," Malik replied coldly, "and do not fear, for I am confident Athaliah was clear of the blast radius."

Only moments ago, Malik's rage had built violently within him. Sensing that the Jedi would escape, he'd ordered his ship, along with a squadron of fighters, to destroy the entire facility. However, they'd responded a few seconds too late, and he sensed that the Jedi had escaped the planet. His only concern now was to retrieve his apprentice. He sensed that she was still alive, but it was taking longer for her to return than he'd anticipated.

"Broadcast on all frequencies," Malik demanded, waving his hand and turning to face the entire command deck, "She must have used a fighter to escape, I want her found as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," multiple flight troopers shouted back as they began scanning.

He could sense that something was wrong, but not what _was _wrong, and he made his way to his meditation chambers. While the troopers scanned for any signs of a fighter nearby, he would use the force and reach out to his apprentice. As he sat in the dark, circular room, which was made visible by dim, red lights, he began his meditation. At first, he had difficulty focussing. With the massive loss of life that had just occurred, the force was like a raging river: unclear, and violent.

_Athaliah, _he beckoned through the force, _My apprentice, I call to you..._

"Master," she muttered as she blindly flew the fighter through the heavy storms of Kamino's surface. Without the force as her guide, she would've crashed by now, but her loss of vision was only a minor impairment. Carefully, she'd been dodging flames and debris, and tried her best to return to the star destroyer. However, not even her senses would make landing any easier, and she was literally flying blind.

"This...Echo V-IV...all frequencies, If anyone...there, please respond," she suddenly heard over her fighter's comlink.

"This is Athaliah," she said as she quickly found the comlink on her dashboard, "I've taken a fighter, but I can't land. I need to speak to Lord Malik."

"We read you, Athaliah," the voice beckoned, much more clearly, "Our ship is still in orbit, can you land safely?"

"Negative," she replied, "I've lost my eye sight; cannot land safely. Get me Lord Malik."

"Roger," the Imperial replied, "Keep flying, and we'll put you in contact as soon as possible."

The comlink fell silent, and she continued flying, careful to avoid anything that was large enough for her to sense. Although not being able to see was starting to make her nervous, she was confident in her skills with the force. She believed that, if she were meant to die, she would've died fighting the assassin, not flying around in a fighter with only debris and thunder storms to avoid. Finally, her comlink became filled with static, and Malik's voice was the one she heard this time.

"Athaliah," he stated calmly, "Why haven't you reported in?"

"Sorry master," she replied, "but your assassin took my eye sight."

"What," he demanded in a rage.

"Not to worry," she continued, "I took his life in exchange. I can't land without help."

"How exactly do you propose I help you," he retorted.

"I can sense my surroundings, master," she stated, "Perhaps if you sent a fighter or two to guide me in, I could land more easily."

"Okay," he replied after a short pause, "Hang tight, we're getting you back."

A flush of relief flowed through her, and she sighed as she would finally return to her master. Now she could afford a moment to mourn her lost eye sight, knowing that she would never see again, and coming to terms with that would be difficult enough. After a few minutes, two Imperial fighters arrived on either side of her own, and her comlink echoed with their voices.

"This is Echo 1 and Echo 2 reporting in," one of them beckoned, "We'll fly you in safely, malady."

"Thank you, boys," she replied, "Let's get out of here."

All three fighters banked to the right, and headed towards the ship. It wouldn't be long now before she was reunited with her master, and her excitement grew a little more. Feeling the sting in her eyes, her thoughts also trailed to that of the medical probes and droids, who would most likely be needed to keep her from suffering any kind of infections.

Aboard his ship, Malik paced angrily, seething with hatred for his now dead assassin. The crew remained silent, allowing him to pace and stir, and not even the Commander dared to interrupt the Sith Lord, even as Athaliah was reported to have docked safely. Finally, after a few minutes, the Commander approached Malik carefully, and spoke.

"Milord," he said as calmly as he could, "She has arrived, and they are escorting her to the medical bay."

"Thank you for your patience, Commander," Malik replied darkly, "You are wise to give me space when I am enraged. Stay here and command the ship, I need to check on my apprentice."

"Yes, milord," the Commander replied more confidently, and Malik stormed off to the medical bay.

xxxxxxx

It had taken Xenos only a standard day to reach Belsavis in the Raven's Claw, and while Dakriel slept, he'd authorized their landing with the local authorities. One of Xenos' many tools was the seemingly endless list of both Imperial and neutral codes he had memorized as a student, though he had one that usually always worked. The voice over the intercom had spoken English, but was not human. A few minutes later, they landed, and after waking up Dakriel, they left the ship.

Although Xenos knew that Duros were now rare on most planets, he still was not surprised to see a group of them approaching him and Dakriel. Taking note of their strange appearance, which consisted of dark blue robes, accented with gold markings and rims, he wondered who they were exactly. Calmly, he stepped forward, bowed, and awaited them. Dakriel, seeing this, calmed down slightly, but was still flooded with deep sorrow. It hadn't been long since they'd left Kamino, and his emotional wounds were still fresh within him.

"Welcome, travelers," the tallest Duros began, "What brings you to our icy planet?"

"Unfortunately," Xenos began, "We were forced to land here thanks to a Sith Lord. We're fugitives, and we need somewhere safe to reside."

"Most unfortunate indeed, but you're in luck, young one," the tall, blue skinned alien replied, "We've been waiting for the day when a Jedi would return, and how wonderful that you've chosen Belsavis as your safeguard."

"How did you know," Xenos asked in shock.

"I noticed both your words, and your light saber," the Duros continued, "and no Sith is as kind as you are. Come, we will give you food and shelter, after all, it's a harsh galaxy out there."

Following the five aliens, Xenos suddenly felt extreme relief. Until now, he'd been in constant danger, surrounded by those who would have him killed. These aliens, however, had shown him more kindness than anyone else had in a long time, save for his master on Kashyyk. Dakriel followed as well, and aside from the Duros' strange apparel, he also felt a bit safer. They followed the sentients to a nearby base, and although times were dark, there was at last some good left in the galaxy.

xxxxxxx

Malik was almost at the medical bay, and he could only guess as to how his apprentice had lost her sight to begin with. By the time he'd arrived, she had already had the dead tissue removed, along with her eye balls, and the droids were now implanting a mechanical visor to her skull. Watching with discomfort, and hearing her scream in slight pain, he watched as mechanical arms surgically connected the metallic equipment to her skull carefully. Blood was everywhere, running down her face and even to her neck, but after a few short moments it was done.

At first there was silence, save for the machines powering off, and Athaliah sitting up carefully. Malik stepped forward slowly, and reached for her face, but she caught his hand immediately. Though she'd lost her normal sight, the visor now gave her a better sense of her surroundings. At the moment, it was on a kind of heat vision, detecting life forms, and giving her detailed information about the droids, and even Malik. She couldn't see the details of his face anymore, but nonetheless, she could see him.

"How do you feel," he asked sternly, trying to ignore his rage at what had happened to her.

"I feel," she began, and then paused briefly, "reborn, master."

"Kneel," he said darkly, drawing one of his sabers, and as she did so, he continued, "You have served me well, my apprentice. You've killed my former assassin, a traitor to the Sith Empire, and sent the lone Jedi into hiding."

"It is my honor," she said softly, "to serve you, milord."

"As Dark Lord of the Sith," he continued, "I grant you the title of Darth...Mira. Arise..."

She stood up, swelling with pride at her new title, and followed him back to the command deck. Upon seeing her, the entire crew became slightly concerned, noticing her visor, and as Malik glared at them all, looking both ways, they flooded with fear, and returned to their work. The Commander approached him calmly, and Malik ordered them into hyper space.

"It's time for us to seize this galaxy once more," Malik said to Darth Mira, "and we've got one last Academy to strike down before the Sith Order is truly restored to its former glory."

"We will bring the galaxy to its knees, master," she stated with a dark grin, "and soon, no one will dare challenge us..."


End file.
